Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel – Oh, The Stories We Hold

Four years since her first and only full-length studio album, Anna Fermin returns with her Opry-ready voice, versatile band, and, importantly, sharpened songwriting skills. Both more cohesive and more melodically satisfying than Things To Come, or her live acoustic effort, Oh, The Stories We Hold captures an elusive emotional tone. Even at its most heartbreaking, Fermin’s voice resonates with romantic confidence and an absolute openness to life.

Jay Bennett’s production mostly nails the dexterity and dynamics of Trigger Gospel’s live shows, adding only unobtrusive touches of fiddle, sitar and keyboards. He occasionally over-reverbs Fermin’s voice or over-drives her band (the guitar-slinger solo on “Chance I Can’t Afford” forces the issue).

With the exception of the Latin-flavored pop standard “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” and Steve Earle’s “Down The Road”, Fermin handles all the songwriting and genuinely finds her lyrical voice. The disarming acoustic opener “Are You Gonna Miss Me Too” feels less composed than simply poured out, while “Glory” carefully weaves together a memory of love and a memory of performing into a single, fleeting expression of what beauty feels like.

Recorded in Bennett’s kitchen, “How Do You Judge Me” tempers a sentimental jazz-pop sensuality with a bit of sly skepticism. Only the imagistic “White Birches” dabbles in labored poesy; otherwise, Fermin sounds fully committed to songs as supple, immediate and memorable as her voice. Oh, The Stories We Hold isn’t a breakthrough, but it is a significant step forward for the Chicago singer-songwriter.