Search - Iron & Wine :: Woman King

Iron and Wine for 2005

Juan Mobili | Valley Cottage, NY USA | 03/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you have kept your radar programmed for news about Sam Bean/Iron and Wine, you've probably read about the changes in his sound for this EP. For faithful fans who haven't heard this album yet, I will assuage any fears you might harbor of Iron And Wine having stray from the hushed Americana path.

There's indeed a bit of exploration toward fiercer musical territories, particularly on Woman King and Evening On The Ground with its more intense pace than the usual fare -even an electric guitar here and there!- yet none of it would seem unrecognizable to the long-time listener.

Overall, this is some of the music that Mr. Beam does so well, Folk and Country-tinged melodies sung in a hushed and moving tone with warm acoustic guitars behind it, now subtly accompanied by some bass lines and, at times, measured percussion.

Of course, this is not bad news. At least for me, if he were to continue to release albums in the style of The Creek Drank The Craddle, I'd continue to buy his music.

Speaking of his gorgeous debut, two songs here -Jezebel and My Lady's House- not only may remind you of The Creek Drank The Craddle, you may actually conclude that these beautiful compositions have nothing to envy the former set of songs.

Overall, this is a very respectable follow up to Our Numbered Days -his second album- and worth owning, although it may not take his sound to new altitudes. That's OK, the height at which this music hovers is high enough for me."

Best so far of 2005- Just brilliant

Erik C. | Clifton Park, NY USA | 03/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sam Beam had completely sold me on the last two albums, "The Creek that drank the cradle", and "Our endless numbered days", and who would know that this ep of all things would turn out to be the big winner so far. It was an absolute shock what an effect this cd has had on me so far, and with each listen, the songs become more of a force, and the grooves dig deep into you like molten lava. The songs are so organic, so refreshing, so original (well, with lots of influences) its hard to describe their absolute beauty. The lyrics are once again relatively dark, with a few exceptions.



But this cd will definitely not disappoint an iron and wine fan that is looking for new instrumentation from Sam Beam. He has added piano, mandolin, electric guitars just to name a few. Every song on this cd has left a lasting memory in my head, only wishing that it could be longer with many more songs like the ones here. "Jezebel" is just gorgeous, "Gray Stables" is mesmorizing, "Freedom hangs like heaven" just jolts your system, "My lady's house" is gentle, and "Liliths song" completely rocks. "Woman King", the title song, is excellent too. What an ep to start off the 2005 year.



Brilliant stuff. Buy it now!"

Another magical album by Sam Beam

Robert Moore | Chicago, IL USA | 10/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I only discovered Sam Beam's Iron and Wine this summer, but I've been quick to join what I hope is a growing body of fans. I have found his astonishingly gorgeous melodies, poetical lyrics, whispered vocals, exquisite yet bare arrangements, and highly accomplished yet restrained guitar/banjo/dobro playing to be irresistible. I find the music on albums like THE CREEK DRANK THE CRADLE, OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS, and THE RHYTHM AND THE SEA so compelling that I've learned how to use all the "replay" features on my computer, stereo, and portable DVD player. More than once I've listened to the same song for several hours at a stretch. And my friends are getting tired of me extolling his musical virtues.



On WOMAN KING Iron and Silk is a bit more of a band than on the full length albums, which were mainly Beam performing with some light support from his sister and others. Here the songs feature a variety of instruments and percussion and Beam even adds some electric guitar. The album is still about 90% Beam, but the addition of new musicians adds new dimensions to the music. If the music seems less contemplative, it nonetheless possesses a new dynamism. Though there are only six songs, all are absolutely first rate.



Some EPs seem like afterthoughts or a place where material not quite good enough for a full length album goes to die. Not here; these are absolutely stunning songs. In fact, there are more great songs on this EP than appear on most albums. What is more, there is such a remarkable variety that all manage to be great songs while not encroaching on the aesthetic space of the others. "Jezebel," the second cut on the disc, is one of the most heartbreakingly songs Beam has written. His voice, which manages to be soft and powerful at the same time, is utterly unembellished, with no vibrato or mannerisms of any sort. As a result his singing seems full of more longing and passion than just about any singer I know, like a poet crying out to the moon at night. With his sister Sarah--whose voice seems an exact copy of Sam's set at a slightly higher register--singing harmony, the vocals on the album couldn't be stronger. Although I might have a very slight preference for "Jezebel" on the disc, all of the songs are equally entrancing, from the conflicted title song to the Biblically inspired "Freedom Hangs Like Heaven" to the mildly unsettling "Evening on the Ground (Lilith's Song)."



My fear on hearing Beam earliest work was that he might be a one-shot artist, but clearly he is a formidable talent that is still expanding. Lyrically he has always been among the best writers today and if you catch me in the right mood I might even argue that he is the best lyricist in music today. Sometimes his lyrics are complex and difficult, but unlike other writers you get the sense that his lyrics are worth the effort to figure out. He excels at individual lines such as "Mary, carry your babe/bound up tight like lips around a whimper" or "No hands are half as gentle/or firm as they'd like to be." But what I like about Beam is that his lyrics hang together not as lines but as poems. "Evening on the Ground (Lilith's Song" features a highly complex rhythm equally complex lyrics where lines of new stanzas (you can't quite call them verses) pick up on the final two words of the previous stanza.



If you are a fan of Iron and Wine, this EP is a must own. It is every bit as strong as the best of THE CREEK DRANK THE CRADLE or OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS. If you don't know Sam Beam and his band, you owe it to yourself to give this a try. At this point his best work is on those two albums and this EP, but his talent seems so genuine that I think the best might be yet to come."