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- Louis Ledford
Reverie
Waterbug Records
By Marianne Ebertowski
 In
the nineties Louis Ledford from Richmond, VA was the singer and
songwriter of alt.country outfit Used Carlotta. With his powerful,
well-crafted narrative songs and his charming, laid-back voice,
he established a solid fan base far beyond his home turf. On
Reverie, his solo-debut he effortlessly picks up
from where Used Carlotta's engine stopped so many years ago.
Accompanied by a fine selection of local musical talent- including
ex-Used Carlotta bassist Rusty Farmer and drummer Roger Wright
- on mainly acoustic and traditional country instruments (guitar,
mandolin, double bas, pedal steel) - Ledford tells tales about
the American Civil War ("Belle Isle"), war in general
("Make It Home"), and there is a very moving personal
account about a show he played in Brooklyn after 9/11 ("September").
Actually, telling personal stories is what Ledford is best
at. "Are You Listening?" sounds so endearing and tender
as if Tom Paxton had a hand in writing it. "Lonesome Road"
with its gorgeous acoustic guitar solos and a discrete, but oh
so lonesome pedal steel in the background makes your heart melt
as snow in the morning sun. And the jazzy road movie-like "Maury
St. Cemetery" with Penn on guitar, Rusty Farmer on double
bass and drummer Roger Wright starring in the main roles, draws
you right into its story as do the best of Tom Wait's songs.
My personal favorite, however, is "Lately," which is
about addiction and frustration and anger and, finally, murder.
This is a song even Townes van Zandt or Steve Earle could have
been proud of.
Reverie creates an atmosphere that is intimate and
subdued. Thanks to the fact that the songs were recorded "live"
in the studio with the window open at times, they sound as if
the musicians are standing on your front porch on a sunny day
and that gives the listener a very pleasant and warm feeling,
in spite of the often dark and gloomy lyrics. This album deserves
a lot more attention than it will probably get. Irresistible
and luminously beautiful!
www.louisledford.com
Contact Marianne Ebertowski at ebertowski-at-rockzilla.net
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