“Just Love” Provides Fitting Tribute For Iconic Folk Artist Audrey Auld
Rick Amburgey
Posted On June 12, 2017
Audrey Auld was a special person to those who knew her. One of her friends described her as a funny, smart sassy gal from Tasmania. Auld reached people she had never met through music. Her thousands of fans surely knew her personality through songs like “I’d Leave Me,” Too.” During her career, Auld released 11 albums and three Eps. Sadly, Auld passed away in 2015 at the age of 51 after a battle with cancer.
Folk artist Nancy Apple recently released “Just Love: A Tribute to Audrey Auld,” a fitting two-disc tribute that honors the memory of such a wonderful artist. Every song features a performer who was either a friend of Auld or someone who admired her music.
Auld herself can be heard singing “Missin’ Mez,” a song which Auld wrote with her husband Mez. The track included on the CD was recorded in Texas in the home studio of her friend Gabe Rhodes. Rhodes can be heard on the track, along with Bill Chambers, Carrie Rodriguez, and Wally Dogged. Apple wanted to include a song with Auld’s voice. Apple said “Missin’ Mez” not only reminds Mez how much he was loved, but also serves as a shout-out to all of Auld’s friends, family and fans to remind them how much Auld loved them.
Auld was a regular performer at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Oklahoma. It is only fitting that some Woodyfest performers also appear on this CD. For example, guitarist and composer Terry “Buffalo” Ware, who was the Woodyfest band leader who worked with Auld, kicks off “One Eye Open,” the first track on the CD.
In addition to Auld, other Woodyfest artists that appear on “Just Love: A Tribute To Audrey Auld” include Lauren Lee, Grant Peebles, Rob McNurlin, Monica Taylor and Don Morris. Bill Chambers appears on “Denied” and he is later joined with daughter Kacey Chambers and others for “If I Woke Up Dead.”
Auld’s final project resulted from songwriting workshops she hosted with inmates at San Quintin Prison in California between 2007 and 2013. The project was called “Hey,Warden” and contained eight songs. Two of those songs appear on Apple’s CD. “Hey Warden” is performed by Tom Mason and the Buccaneers and “Bread and Roses” is performed by Andrew Hardin.
While it is impossible to cover the influence of Audrey Auld’s music or include her dozens of collaborators on even a double-CD, Apple does a fantastic job at honoring Auld. There is enough here to satisfy Auld’s fans and provides a great introduction for those who may not be familiar with Auld and her music.
