Search - Waifs :: Shelter Me

'Shelter Me'; a little slower, but still The Waifs.

Sheila Liming | Seattle, WA USA | 10/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For any seasoned fans of The Waifs (or anyone out there with a predilection for folksy girl duets sporting brilliant guitar skills and voices to boot), 'Shelter Me' will be no departure --and no disapointment -- from what you've heard before. The album weighs heavily on The Waifs accoustical appeal. The majority of the songs carry themselves without backbeat or excessive instrumentation -- mostly it's just the girls, their guitars, and the usual, typically wonderful songwriting that comes from Josh Cunningham, the third member of this stellar folk ensemble. The title track 'Shelter Me' is a gorgeous, magnificently charged piece that will leave you reeling, "Take me now where shelter be/ before there's nothing left of me." Vikki's final track 'Spotlight' is a pure gem, emotional and raw but utterly beautiful. 'Attention' finishes the album well with that familliar Waify energy and pulse, almost blue grass, almost country, but totally wonderful."

Impressive Follow Up

MarciNYC | Jersey Shore, USA | 08/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was wowed by The Waifs' debut and like this 2nd effort even more. The Simpson sisters and bandmate Josh Cunningham's melodies and harmonies are beautiful and the variety of tunes on this disc show them off. I recently saw them play in New Orleans (JazzFest 2003) and was wowed by them live. One of the best things to come out of Australia in recent years. NB: There's a bonus track on this disc as well, but i'm not telling ya what it is!"

More Australian Folk

Dave_42 | Australia | 03/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Shelter Me" is the second album from "The Waifs", and it builds on their strong folk debut album. There is not a big difference in sound between their first album and this one, though overall it feels like a more substantial effort. "Shelter Me" was originally released in March of 1998. This album helped solidify their strength as folk artists, while starting the process of stretching their sound.



"Heart Lies", "Shelter Me", "Lest We Forget", "The River" (my personal favorite), all are great folk pieces, while tracks like "Time To Part" and their live Jazz version of "Billy Jones" (from their debut album) provide some diversity to their sound. "Stuck", "Spotlight" and "Attention" are also strong tracks in addition to those already mentioned. I will say that although the Jazz version of Billy Jones is fun and brings a different type of sound to the group, it does feel a bit early in the group's career to revisit an earlier song.



The Waifs are from Western Australia and consist of Josh Cunningham (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin); and the sisters Donna Simpson (vocals, guitar, percussion) and Vikki Simpson (vocals, guitar, harmonica). They are joined by Jen Anderson (violin, viola), Jeff Algra (drums and percussion), and Chris Dickie (additional percussion). As with the first album, Josh has the majority of the writing credits and his lyrics are handled brilliantly by Donna and Vikki.

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