Wow, can this woman write
R. Floyd | Chapel Hill, NC USA | 04/11/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a CD full of amazing lyrics. While listening to it is a little like hearing a dozen life stories crammed together, they're all fascinating and vivid stories, backed by just the right amount of (sparse) instrumental support. Highly original and highly recommended."
Knocking Down the Wildflowers
Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 08/30/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After falling in love with Swerve & Half of My Crime, I've become acclimated to the understanding that ALL of Annie Gallup's CDs will eventually find their way into my collection. Gallup's voice is offbeat, bringing to mind the hushed quality of Suzanne Vega's voice and the humor of Amy Rigby. However, Gallup is a complete original, witty, idiosyncratic and ultimately essential as a folk musician. "Backbone" reaches back 12 years to 1996 for what is yet another excellent disc. "Max" opens the set with Gallup's famous talk-sing & Will Dowd's amazing percussion about a guy who uses his telescope to inspect his girl's back. "The Girl with the Flyaway Hair" bounces irresistibly with Gallup's shotgun lyrics zooming by @ 70 miles per hour, "What about that stormy day you saw her downtown by the bus depot, Wind caught her umbrella, flipped it inside out; She just let it go; It floated up between the buildings; Everybody turned & stared but she didn't seem to notice." "The Truth About Disguise" has a loping melody and an offbeat lyric, "In the morning when you winked into the perfect silhouette of a black crow in a blue sky, I longed to follow and learn from you the truth about disguise." "Real Money" has a catchy melody with Gallup's stream of consciousness lyrics taking us with her, "On the day you grew bored with your butterfly collection, you mowed the lawn in a long slow spiral knocking down the wildflowers." The set concludes with "Easter Sunday" that features John Weeks' lovely viola. "Backbone" is one of those discs that put a smile on your face with its originality and keeps you entertained throughout the set. Enjoy!"