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It's very reassuring to know that there is Anais Mitchell who I believe is very capable of assuming the mantle of her namesake - Joni when she eventually shuts up shop. It's so difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff and find new musicians these days that have such promise. Each time I see Anais perform her songs, I never cease to be amazed at the talent developing still further before my very eyes. From the get-go at The Ark, her songs sent shivers down my spine and its very obvious that her associations with Ani de Franco's Righteous Babe label is pointing her in the right direction. Her songs are pretty, like the lady herself and are truly songs from the heart with profound, sophisticated lyrics which deliver emotion by the bucket load. She certainly doesn't suffer from inarticulate speech of the heart. Although the venue was not quite as impressive as our normal venues at The Ravenswood or Chequer Mead, immediately she began, the venue did not matter because what was important was that a good rapport was established with the small but friendly audience. It's pity though that there were not more souls to experience Anais's heavenly box of tricks. Music can be at times and uninteresting another it can have the power to transport you to a better place and make you feel really good, this was one such occasion. Anais's guitar technique has improved beyond all recognition; it has become more incisive and lends more weight to the silky dulcet tones of her voice and a beautiful vibrato at the ends her phrasing together with the sound diminishing to a breathless blur at times. This is really effective and not a fault of her vocal technique. At time she sounded very slightly jazzy in a Ricky Lee Jones way. Ms Mitchell has been around for a little while now, but she has the years on her side to become truly great and if the circumstances all come together in the right order...well need I say any more? But lets hope the tipping point comes soon and she becomes universally recognised. Perhaps her contemporary opera "Hadestown" will do the trick and start her off. You have all been warned, get to see her whenever you can and you will know what I mean. Even Bob Harris of BBC Radio 2 constantly sings her praises and plays her records on a regular basis. Don't you dare miss her, especially when she comes to play at Acoustic Sussex Maximum Bob C |
