The debut album by singer/songwriter
Mara Lee Miller (who is
Bosque Brown in much the same way that
Chan Marshall is
Cat Power) is whisper-quiet alt-country in the style of early
Gillian Welch,
Damien Jurado (who helped discover
Miller and plays guitar on some tracks here), and other folks who cross the troubadour style of
Jimmie Rodgers or
Hank Williams with the modern bedroom D.I.Y. pop aesthetic.
Miller's voice bears an uncanny resemblance to that of folkie singer/songwriter
Erin McKeown, with a similar girlish twang, and it's the most appealing aspect of this fairly bare-bones release. Fundamentally a set of voice and guitar demos that had a few extra instruments added to them after the fact by producer
Eric Fisher, these 11 songs are so stark that the occasional bit of accordion, bass, or violin comes as a slightly rude shock.
Bosque Brown's songwriting style would certainly flourish in a more integrated decorated setting, but perhaps this solo album might have been better left alone. ~ Stewart Mason