Patty Larkin – Watch The Sky

Watch The Sky is a solo album in the literal sense, as Patty Larkin handles all the vocals, instrumentation, songwriting and production. She uses nearly a dozen instruments (guitars, banjo, bouzouki, toy organ) to create a landscape of layered sound that goes beyond the singer-songwriter norm with unexpected results. On “Phone Message”, the opening track, Larkin uses percussive loops to merge folk and hip-hop. The confessional “Cover Me” has a dreamy vibe, as Larkin’s languid vocal conjures up images of Nick Drake. Her approach to music and lyric recalls the creative manipulation of Tom Waits on his latter-day albums. On “Beautiful”, she creates a hypnotic feeling as she chants the title like a mantra in the chorus. “Bound Brook” is an atmospheric instrumental with a cinematic feel. Larkin shows a willingness to experiment with her art; like Robert Frost, she finds the road not taken has its rewards.