Hard Times in Babylon
marks
Eliza Gilkyson
's debut on
Red House Records
and shows this talented
singer/songwriter
in fine form. It is not a record full of insta-hits. That's not what
Gilkyson
is about. Her focus is on the craft of songwriting and making records. Both the songs and her voice sound warmly familiar, comforting, and timeless.
"Coast"
certainly lends itself to that description, as does
"Engineer Bill."
Lyrically,
avoids the trite and cliched whenever possible, and achieves some real beauty with her words. Indeed,
"Persephone"
reads like any great poem should, and would not be lacking had it no melody.
's band includes guitarists
Matt Andes
and
Mike Hardwick
, bassist
Glenn Fukunaga
, and drummer
Rafael Gayol
. Predictably, these guys are not the hotshot A-list players that grace the liner notes of
Britney Spears
or even
Sting
, but they are steady, solid, and tasteful, just like
herself. It's admirable that artists like this exist, making the music they do and offering it up to the world without trying to be the next big trend. Rather, to artists of integrity like
, music is in their blood and breath, and it shows. ~ Kelly McCartney