Search - Stacey Earle :: Simple Gearle

Solid Country Folk from underrated Gearle!

Michael K. Hall | Gresham, OR USA | 04/13/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Take a chance on this one. I stumbled across it in a dollar bin, obviously because the person placing it there had never heard of her. Immediately reminded me of Alison Krauss, Emmylou and Gillian Welch. If your a fan of those ladies, this is right up your alley. Strong singing, writing and playing from her band which includes husband Mark Staurt. Also features a guest appearance from brother Steve Earle."

Slow growing and intense album

F. J. Harvey | Birmingham England | 10/16/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 1999 album does not reveal its substantial merits on a first play -or even after several plays ,but stick with it and you are in for an intensely rewarding experience.
Stacey Earle is the younger sister of the more high profile -and increasingly politicised-Steve Earle and this was her debut album.It is a mainly acoustic work with stark ,simple and uncluttered accompaniment that allows her personal and idiosyncratic songs room to breathe.
Each song is strong and there is no filler on the album.It opens with a terse track -"Waiting"where she sings of the desperation engendered waiting for a loved one to return home,eventually realising ,as the candles burn down in their holders and the clock ticks relentlessly on that he is not coming back.The heartbreak and desperation are almost palpable in both song and heartfelt performance.There are thematic links with the closing song on the album-Just Another Day where the singer relates a day of loneliness and toil undergone while still obviously waiting and yearning for the appaearnace of her absent lover.
In between are songs of nostalgia ,like Wedding Night ,lost and lonely sadness as in Tears That She Cries,and the youthful innocence of Simple Gearle .
Special praise from me for the poignant Cried My Heart Out and the collaboration with big brother on Loser's Weep.
One interesting sonic note is the opening sound of stylus hitting vinyl ,which is echoed at the end with the noise of a stylus being lifted from the album.This evocation of the vinyl era adds to the nostalgic feel of the record which also has an intermediate stop which signals a A side and B side
Recommended to lovers of the female singer songwriter confessional school and those who love downhome ,honest and direct country with no Nashvegas gloss"

Simple pleasures

mktgmom | KS United States | 01/03/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A friend passed this along to me when I asked her if it was Nancy Griffith -- they sound THAT similar. Her tone and delivery are almost identical and that's a good thing. Very folksy - very clean."