Search - Mary Gauthier :: Filth & Fire

A Stunning Release - Well Written Songs, Beautiful Voice

A. Boyd | Boston MA | 07/05/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Confession - I just now am learning who Mary Gauthier (pronounced "Goh-Shay") is - never heard of her until now, and I consider myself a music freak (a music "prick" is how one dear friend put it). I dug up two releases and highly recommend both here. She has a new album and will review that in the near-term as well.



Filth & Fire and Mercy Now are two absolutely stunning albums evoking all the qualities I cherish about music: this is bluesy, rootsy, infectious stuff. As a huge Lucinda Williams fan, Gauthier falls into the same mold - her vocals are gripping: at various times husky, whispering or crystal clear, all-the-time seasoned with Gautheir's Louisiana twang and snarl. So what is it? Contemporary folk? Bar-room ballads? Alt-country? Roadhouse rock? All of the above, without pretension. There is a renegade spirit here that embraces the saw dust around the jukebox over martini glasses. The production is respectful of the material - not spiffed up, but warm enough to pay due respects to the genuine sense of presence, space and atmosphere Gauthier creates in her songs. She forces time to slow - late night walks on quiet, rain-drenched streets, sultry, slow-dance waltzes, etc. (my visions, not hers). Highly, highly recommended! Both albums are Must Hears!



GENRES: Alt Country, Mellow Rock, Folk Rock, Contemporary Folk, Americana.



BUY IF YOU LIKE: Lucinda Williams, James McMurtry.



MUST HEAR TRACKS: Filth & Fire: "Long Way To Fall," "Sugar Cane," "Good-Bye," "Camelot Motel," "The Sun Fades The Color of Everything." Mercy Now: "Falling Out of Love," "Mercy Now," "Prayer Without Words," "Drop In a Bucket.""