I generally tend toward a less-is-more aesthetic to the music I listen to. I’ll take a live studio take on a song before a 64-track production any day. I like to see songs performed on stage without autotune or a dozen recorded background tracks. But every now and then I get a hankering for some lushness. Los Angeles’ Tawny Ellis has a new record that came along just in time to scratch that itch, called Edge of the World.
The title track is a collaboration with Daniel Lanois (of U2, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, etc., production fame). It has a haunting quality about it that’s emotionally tied to a trip somewhere remote, like Big Sur. As a side note, the album cover is an Ellis painting she did while up in said part of the California coast. Elephant has even more of a pop sound with choir-like background vocals. Whether it’s your own demons or seeing the anguish in someone close, “nobody wants to be the first to admit all is not just fine.” Lanois also contributes the arrangement on my favorite song of the record, Terry. The pain and sorrow of losing someone close is evident in every verse, but at least “now he’s dancing with the muses.”
Ellis herself plays tenor guitar on most the cuts, and is joined by husband and musical partner Gio Loria on acoustic guitar. They add 3 electric guitars on La La La Love that turn it into a power pop ballad. Also heavy on the guitars is Flicker of the Flame. It’s another strong ballad that builds to an almost anthemic quality, where she notes “we were so close and then you slipped away.” Tim Hanseroth contributes guitar on Sweet Georgia, a number that leans a little more to the folk and Americana style. The CD finishes with Night Birds, a siren call where “I could make you mine if I could sing you a pretty song.”
With her previous releases, and some performances I’ve seen with other LA artists, Tawny Ellis might very well tick the folk or country music box in a playlist. With her new record she’s embracing a richer, more layered sound. While that may not always be my cup of tea, I couldn’t get enough of Edge of the World.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.