Search - Mary Lee's Corvette :: 700 Miles

Not just a Dylan copycat

Vito Minerva | Italy | 01/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"700 Miles was one of the best album of 2003. In my opinion, it should have generated the same buzz as Patty Griffin's 2002 album 1000 Kisses (yes, it's that good).
The comparison with Patty Griffin can be pushed further, in that both artists defy categorization. As for Mary Lee Kortes, she can deliver high-energy rock pieces like '(Give it to) the needy', play smart pop songs like 'The Nothing Song' or 'More Stupider', delve into folk with tales about growing up in a remote place ('Portland, Michigan'), sound a little bit country as in the title track, sing gentle love songs ('Like Water'), provide catchy melodies ('Redemption Day' , 'Out from under it') and look dismayed at the craziness of the world like in the gorgeous 'All the rage'.
Mary Lee says in the booklet that "this is an album about journey, transformation and freedom - the freedom to be who you really are". To go further, I'd say that it's an album for disenchanted grown-ups who see the world around themselves differently from when they were in their 20s. That's why you can no longer tolerate being dumb to please your partner (in 'More Stupider' she says: 'If I'd have been more stupider, not too intense, not too bitter, then you'd do me like you did her, I'd wear that silly grin upon my face') and when a relationship ends, that's for good, you don't make compromises any more (in 'Give it to the needy' the chorus says 'Don't you know you freed me when you walked out the door ?'). This mature and disillusioned attitude is also evident in phrases like this: 'All I want is to want nothing, but that's still wanting something, hope eternal springs while every summer brings the fall' ('The nothing song') or in the feel of helplessness that permeates through 'All the rage': 'The fear that takes us all by storm has cut a path now too well-worn where differences are hated instead of celebrated'. The rediscovery of her own roots after leaving for the big city is also typical of adulthood: 'But in the darkness and the light the past walks with me side by side and it feels like Portland, Michigan' (by the way, this is a poetic licence, since she comes from Montana). I could go on, but you got the point.
Now, don't be scared by this review: the lyrics are very intelligent, as I tried to say, but you can also enjoy the album on a shallow level without digging into the meaning of each word. In fact, the varied style and catchy melodies make for a pleasant listening."

For her third album Mary Lee Kortes hits all the right notes

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 02/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I checked out "700 Miles" after having listened to the live version of Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" that Mary Lee's Corvette recorded at classic album night at Arlene's Grocery, so the differences between the two are quite clear to me. Of course this goes beyond the obvious differences that one is a live album of covers and the other is a studio recording of mostly original material. "700 Miles" is a much more intimate album and evidences that Mary Lee Kortes is a pretty good singer-songwriter. If I had to describe her in relationship to the rest of the female singer-songwriter universe I would say that her pop-folk-country-rock music reminds me of Sheryl Crow turned down a couple of notches and kept simple while her lyrics put her in the category of Aimee Mann (which is one of the biggest compliments I can pay since I consider Mann to be a poet who happens to set words to music).The album starts off with "The Nothing Song," which offers the wry observation "All I want is to want nothing, but that's still wanting something," and you know you are going to have to pay attention to the lyrics along with enjoying the meticulously crafted melodies. Hearing Kortes sing her own songs is a revelation after first hearing her channel Dylan. I can appreciate that these songs were originally recorded in her apartment because the songs and the singing both reflect that intimacy, even when the rest of Mary Lee's Corvette adds their instrumentation. Even when she covers "No Place to Fall" at the end of the album, her haunting voice makes the song her own in a way it never did when covering Dylan. I also like the folksy narrative of the acoustic "Portland, Michigan" and the more rocking "(Give It To) The Needy," a nice little anthem of independence. I also like the sense of humor that pops up from time to time in her songs, such as "More Stupider," with its funky little beat and its wry observations on acting dumb to keep a guy, and "Haunting Me." I know that Kortes grew up in Montana and moved to Manhattan, and for some reason that I cannot quite articulate that makes perfect sense to me in terms of these songs. Go figure. Whether she is singing about freedom on "Out from Under It," traveling on "700 Miles" or love on "Like Water" and "Haunting Me," Kortes has something to say. Again, enjoy the music, but pay attention to the lady's lyrics."

Oh-yeah!

Les Borean | So-Cal | 11/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I checked the 3 reviews that preceeded mine, and I see that I was lucky to have discovered Ms. Kortes before these three fans did. The previous two reviewers remarked on the fine quality of Mary Lee's voice. Well, they outhta hear "One Thousand Promises Later" on a previous album "True Lovers of Adventure", where she really cranks up that great voice of hers and really pours the passion into it.
She can do this and still keep her expression honest and heartfelt. Which is what she's about -- honesty and heart.
In comparison, this album is more sytlistically consistent than "True Lovers" -- not as stylistically varied; not as musically intense, but more personal. "True Lovers" is a little old fashioned, this new album is very contemporary.
She can perform this kind of range, plus dazzle hard core Dylan fans with a cover of his songs.
She has the versality to do this -- talent to put a lot of heart into whatever she does; and this album is a testament to that. Makes ya' wonder what she'll do next."