Oakley Hall

Gypsum Strings

(Brah)

Record Review by Karen A. Mann

Despite what you may have read in recent coverage of the budding freak folk scene, Oakley Hall really has less to do with Fairport Convention than they do with such ‘70s country rockers (emphasis on the rock) as Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt and The Band.  It’s true that you’ll hear a lot of fiddle, banjo, dulcimer and acoustic guitar on Gypsum Strings.  You’ll also hear squalling electric leads and off-kilter mal-female vocal harmonies reminiscent of John Doe and Exene Cervenka.

The first song, “Confidence Man,” marries both the folk and the rock influences by opening with furious guitar soloing over an almost Eastern-sounding bass drone.  Then the drums kick in, driving the song along with a loping beat before co-singers Pat Sullivan and Rachel Cox begin shouting their lyrics in unison.  “Having Fun Again,” is a slower, groovier number with more fuzzy guitar that would have been right at home on Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.  Sullivan, who sings this one solo, also manages to pull off some inventive lyrics (rhyming “loving her” and “governor”) while singing about his lady’s bedroom demands.

The pace picks up again with the CD’s best track, the driving “Lazy Susan,” which not only showcases Sullivan and Cox at their vocal best, but features a solo showdown between guitarist Fred Wallace and fiddler Claudio Mogel.

The CD more or less follows the fast-slow formula, except for hitting a mostly slow, much folksier spot right in the middle.  They venture into legitimate folk territory on “House Carpenter,” putting an electric spin on an abbreviated version of the old demon lover ballad.  “House Carpenter” certainly shows off Cox’s haunting voice, but for the most part the band is at its best the harder it rocks.