Mae Moore – It’s A Funny World

It was Thomas Wolfe who said you can’t go home again, but that’s an adage Mae Moore would argue with. Her highly autobiographical fifth album is very much about going home again, both spiritually and musically.

Best-known for her 1992 folk gem Bohemia, Moore crafted It’s A Funny World in her home studio, thinking she would sell it on her website. Paras wisely picked up the record, and the results challenge the assumptions of what a self-financed album can sound like. Produced by Joby Baker, It’s A Funny World is complex and lush, full of beautiful songs, brilliantly recorded, and wonderfully played. Though Moore’s greatest skill is at writing a simple folk tune, she also explores a jazz side with the title track, a torch song that keeps up with the Joneses — both Norah and Rickie Lee.

Moore re-recorded four of her favorite songs from her past work, including “Bohemia” and “Red Clay Hills”. All four are improved, partly because she is singing better than ever, but also because these stripped-down recordings (mostly cut in her kitchen) highlight the melodies and not the production.

The album rolls on and on, languishing in soft melodies. One can imagine a long sunset, a pot on the stove, and smiles on the faces of everyone within earshot of Moore’s kitchen: the musicians, the neighbors, even the dogs outside.