A Joyful Celebration under the Strawberry Moon
Henry Carrigan
Posted On March 20, 2019
Back in 2016, Luther Dickinson invited Allison Russell, Amy Helm, Amy LaVere, Sharde Thomas, the Coco Mamas (Ester Mae Wilbourn, Angelia Taylor, Della Daniels), JT Nero, and Drew Lindsay to his family’s studio in Mississippi. They gathered for four days, just as the strawberry moon aligned with the summer solstice. Every song on Solstice resonates with a soulful beauty, with the harmonies and melodies wrapping over and around the lyrics of the songs in a colorful blanket that warms our hearts.
“Sing to Me,” featuring Helm, stands at the center of the album. Helm’s heart-rending vocal opens the song, but she’s soon backed by the harmonies of the others in a gorgeous, ethereal chorus. Russell’s clarinet and Dickinson’s lead guitar play call and response as they float above the heavenly strains of Reverend Charles Hodges’ B3. Sharde Thomas delivers a moving soul tune reminiscent of the best of Carla Thomas and Minnie Riperton on “We Made It,” while Amy LaVere slyly captures the life of the nocturnal denizen on the shuffling “Cricket (At Night I Can Fly).” LaVere takes the lead on the Mexcali shuffle “Hallelujah (I’m a Dreamer).” Birds of Chicago raise their voices in praise for the all-too fleeting nature of certain moments in life on “Til It’s Gone,” with Russell’s soaring vocals floating over the intertwining of her clarinet and Hodges’ B3 and Drew Lindsay’s piano. “Til It’s Gone” and “Sing for Me” celebrate the spiritual beauty of this life in all its messiness.
Some albums overflow with the feelings of joy and spirit of musical harmony that the musicians must have experienced when making the album. Solstice is one of those albums; the music itself is transcendent, but the emotions of the musicians wash over us, touching us palpably. It’s almost as if we’re in the studio swaying to the music and singing with them.
