The Stray Birds Focus

This disc is a huge leap forward in every conceivable way that is either imaginable or even beyond the realm of the imagination.  First off they have  brought in a Producer; none other than 3 times Grammy winner, Larry Campbell, not only as the producer, but also contributing pedal steel,fiddle,mandolin, acoustic and electric guitar, as well as a few of his buddies from the upstate New York region, both Marco Benevento and Kai Welch on keys. Campbell is known for his work with Levon Helm and Bob Dylan among others.  The songs have a punchier feel and more depth to them, they also seem more open to the listener.  Then there is Justin Guip another 3 time Grammy winner as an engineer.    

All the songs were written by one or more of the members of the group plus some of the songs have contributions from people outside the group helping here and there, and the songs range over the wide spectrum of the music this group is capable of producing.  They maximize all their asset to take their music to the point of its greatest potential; vocally, instrumentally and creatively.  

The range of music is like a delicious gumbo just coming out of the oven, with all of the flavors, both separately and harmoniously blended coming out and peeking/peaking across the range of music that they play, going from folk to bluegrass, to bop, to rock, americana, to whatever the hell they feel like playing all across the melange of styles they present us with.  Maya and Oliver are classically trained and if I remember correctly, always kind of iffy, they met through something classical, but please don’t take this as gospel.  This is for people who love to see labels shattered to smithereens, though this group is fantastic about taking song genres and mashing 3 or 4 different genres into one song.  This is something that can only be done effectively when you have learned all the nuances of the genres of music. The basic group is Maya De Vitry on vocals, acoustic guitar, and fiddle; Oliver Craven on vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, fiddle, slide guitar, and mandolin; Charles Muench on vocals and upright bass; and on this disc Shane Leonard (sort of listed as a member) with vocals, drums, percussion, and programing.  

The vocal harmonies are phenomenal, at times you hear all the voices blended into a one voice where you can’t separate the voices, at other time the voices are all together blended so they can’t be separated, and yet each voice speaks its own feelings.  Make no mistake here, as good as the voices and their blending is, instrumentally they are equally as adept and harmonious.  One of those rare groups you can never get enough of; from the broad spectrum of music they play, to the beautifully synchronized voice, to their instrumental prowess; WOW beautiful.   Due out Aug. 19 –

by bob gottlieb