2007-09-12
Lara Ewen and the Unstrung Orchestra's debut album, Ghosts and Gasoline, leaves behind the lingering scent of "perfume, cigarettes and booze." Ewen's 11 believable tales are complemented by a sliding and sultry acoustic guitar, and the result is a ruggedly tender trip to heartache. From "The Airport Song" to "Manhattan to Kansas" (by train) to "A Way to You" via automobile. She even takes a stab at time travel in "20 Years Ago." Ewen is at her best in the autobiographical "Clear," as a woman who is struggling for perspective, who at times "got all hunched over with those American dreams." Despite her reliance on a few lyrical cliches, Ewen's impassioned treks really satisfy, and it would appear that this Manhattan mermaid has found a home. Track 6 "Clear" contains "shit."CATHERINE MACLELLAN
Water in the Ground
Genna & Jesse
Asphalt Rhapsody
Billy Bragg
Mr. Love & Justice
Eleni Mandell
Miracle of Five
WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS
The Sparrow and the Crow
Danielle Howle
Thank You, Mark
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