Some things only get even better with time. Ten years have passed since Brookline, New Hampshire singer-songwriter Jane Fallon released her country flavored singer-songwriter album City Girl. While her blend of country and folk idioms may have seemed a no-no in the eyes of promoters and radio station personnel, Fallon came up with a startlingly beautiful album. Her voice is tender sweet and her lyrics witty sharp while the instrumentation beneath her vocal is ever so right, especially some fine pedal steel melodies, all produced by the incomparable studio wiz Seth Connelly.
Fallon’s voice ushers us into opening track “City Girl” with sussurant beauty. She sings as soft as a pillow with a confidence alluring and reassuring. It’s just a treat for the ears to hear her gliding over a perky yet tender electric guitar twang as she unfurls this thoughtful piece with considerate pacing. Within no time at all, this singer-songwriter has gently lulled her listener into her world of special sounds.
The singer-songwriter brings along several noteworthy players to help her flesh out her lyrical and musical visions. Leo Egan’s pedal steel on “Listen To The Snow” walks us right up to the moment Fallow begins her smooth, sensitive vocal, shadowing the vocal melody line with his own petty layer of melodic brittleness. Fallon croons of listening to the silence of the snow falling outside her window and joyfully contrasts her quiet solitude from the distracting and sometimes horrible noises of the outside world, inviting her listener to share her quiet joy.
“Time After Time” finds Fallon vocalizing ever so gently over a contrasting cello melody by Valerie Thompson. Voice and cello highlight each other’s sweet, emotive beauty with their differing timbres as raindrop soft piano and acoustic guitar notes fall like pretty snowflakes over the foreground weave. It’s impossible to not feel what this song is about as Fallon applies her angelic voice, a voice that envelops the listener while infusing her song with emotion.
The cleverest lyrical twists on this CD have got to be in “Forbidden Fruit,” a contemplation of human desires using the Garden Of Eden, Eve, the snake, and his apple as metaphors for things we all want. Whether or not we should have them, or even try to acquire them, is another matter entirely. Fallon spreads her angelic voice like sweet jelly over this devilishly witty piece. Sparse acoustic guitar accompaniment works well, keeping the focus on the voice while providing snappy musical twists to follow whatever temptation this song is leading us into. It’s also a catchy tune that could make it onto radio play lists.
Fallon employs a slightly thicker vocal timbre to “The Water Is Wide.” Her gentle but wide timbre floats with lofty purpose over a nimbly picked acoustic guitar melody. We feel her voice as the wide, expanding river while those acoustic guitar notes are ever its mellow currents. This sparsely arranged number feels like something huge, mountainous as Fallon loads it up with emotions as expansive as a major waterway.
Fallon’s other potential hit song on this CD is “He Deserves The Hat,” a solemn look at how true cowboys rode the unmapped ranges of the country, tamed and settled the west, and could lead cattle drives. She affectionately compares these true historic, cultural cowboys with modern day fashion followers who accessorize with hats, boots, and belt buckles but have no idea what those sartorial items truly represent. Fallon winds up each verse with these dramatic comparisons and delivers them with just enough girlish pluck to make her statement even stronger. You have to earn that hat.
“His Face (Psyche’s Lament)” features some fine duet moments between Fallon and background singer Phil Knudsen. Based on Greek mythological figures, Fallon shrouds this one in mystery, describing a new groom as someone who comes and goes, making one feel his presence known and felt, but never shows his face. Deeply emotive acoustic guitar and cello color the backdrop with moody, ethereal expressions of longing. It is easy to feel something so close yet so far, and Fallon wraps her smooth, tender voice around it so snugly that we cannot help but to follow along with her longing curiosity.
Fallon and a phalanx of country fried backing musicians bump things up a little on “The Right Road.” A full band number, Fallon exudes a country girl confidence, pretty voiced, as she uses some vocal lifts in her chorus then some straight forward vocalizing in her verses to vary the pace. And it’s uncanny how well she can swing it all into a different direction or tone each time her song’s main character chooses a wiser path. It should play well on country radio, as it tells a story of someone staying above water in a hard scrabble life.
“If It Mattered” examines the afterimages and aftermath of a failed relationship. Fallon’s sweet, warm voice wraps itself around a twisty, spiraling chorus that becomes catchy as heck as she courageously moves through it. Her verses are, again, graced by her own special vocal charms, and her subtle shifts in inflections, dynamics, and other elements fill this one out with an austere beauty, something that becomes strikingly significant by not being overly adorned.
“Lover’s Hell” benefits from a flinty dobro, pedal steel, and piano as Fallon carries us through a range of emotions stemming from images of other people’s failed relationships. She makes each sad scenario feel mournfully beautiful as she finds the bright, sunny side of loves that were unreciprocated.
Fallon gets more into her catchy side on “Whichever Way The Wind Blows.” Her verses and chorus make one want to sing along to her cleverly rhymed and succinct words. There is a strong personality to this song, making it focused, sharp, something that catches the ear and never lets go. This makes it uncannily suited to a song about people who are constantly directionless, drifting. A pedal steel makes a beauty of a second voice here, and it should go over well at once with fans of country and folk.
Fallon officially closes out her album with “Somewhere West Of Boise,” a traveling themed song that makes one feel like hoofing it with its shuffling two step movements. Perky guitar gives a second motivational push as Fallon employs some well places sustains to further a sense of travel.
Bonus tracks are live recordings titled “Bugs For Breakfast,” “NH Valley Girl,” and “Birdie #9.” Each one has its own special wit and lyrical charm. The first relies on a survivalist’s knowledge of protein sources in the great outdoors. It’s a hoot listening to Fallon describe the various meals she can make out of insects. “NH Valley Girl” playfully mocks those who have their heads in their sand regarding the environment. “Birdie # 9” essentially changes “Love Potion Number 9” to a parody of her son’s golf championships.
Fallon had come up with a melodically and lyrically successful album with this 2006 masterwork. She should’ve disregarded those industry type who said it was too country for folkies and too folkie for country folks. It succeeds on many levels simultaneously and many would likely enjoy Fallon’s fetching vocals in any context. Bravo, Fallon.