There are plenty of musicians who were raised in a deeply religious environment, chose a different path, but maintained and built upon the musical foundation of the church. You can attribute that talent to all the time spent in choirs and gospel services–the 10,000 hour meme. Sometimes, though, you just sense it comes from somewhere deeper. Call it an inner voice, and old soul, whatever it is you can almost hear another presence. I got a sense of that listening to the new album from Massachusetts artist Sandy Bailey, entitled Daughter Of Abraham.
Bailey has one of those satiny voices where you could listen to her sing a phone book and not be unhappy. She then layered it on top of of a sound maybe best characterized as early Muscle Shoals. The songs themselves range from an almost gospel Bottles Of Emptiness to a pedal steel-laced Get the Message Through. For sheer impact, though, I have to recommend the title track.
Inspired by Bailey’s move into a house rumored to have been part of the Underground Railroad, the song tells the story of a slave making his way north to freedom in 1859. Resonator guitar plays tribute to the traditional blues of the south while Bailey’s voice lays out the conflicting emotions when “he couldn’t see the sun, but he was still singing his song. We’re so pleased to be premiering Daughter Of Abraham here.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.