Anna Fermin— We All Belong Here
Frank Gutch Jr.
Posted On October 27, 2017
I at first thought it was Anna Fermin’s voice which attracted me to You Belong Here, the latest release by Fermin and her band, Trigger Gospel. A voice which adapts itself to a song naturally. A voice which covers a wide array of genre. A voice beautiful in its phrasing and presentation. You will not find vocal pyrotechnics on this album because she doesn’t need them. All she needs is an intake of air and…
But the voice is not everything here. The music is. Nine originals and one cover, covering a wide swath but held together by Fermin and band. I could dissect the songs one-by-one, but what would that accomplish? When I say country, I am sure in your head you would hear country, and when I say pop, you would hear pop. The important thing is that each song is Fermin and band and when you hear them descriptions fly out the window. I mean, how do you describe a voice so it can be heard? I have not found a way. But when you hear…
I debated whether to include this next video (no, I didn’t) because parts of it are in Swedish (Swede’s do speak Swedish, right?) but what the hell. I am always amazed when American acts are received in other countries better than they are received in The States, but it seems to be the rule. Keep in mind, this is a truncated version of Trigger Gospel. For touring purposes, if you will.
Maybe a picture is worth a thousand words. Music most definitely is. Fermin’s music. God, but she can write a song! Actually, she has written a ton of them. The band started in 1997 and has recorded a number of albums. I am going through them at this point and it is an adventure.
I thank the band’s guitarist Andon Davis for bringing the album to my attention. Davis had spent a short stint with Perry Jordan’s revitalization of Heartsfield, and myself, being a huge Heartsfield fan, followed him from there and, voila!, Trigger Gospel. Serendipitous, in a way, because I found another band into which music I could dive wholeheartedly.
Note: The band had not recorded in eight years when they produced You Belong Here. That’s a long time in the music business. Let us hope they do not take as much time for their next one.
