'Into The Dark' is the latest album from Laura Cortese, and is the follow up to her solo E.P. 'The Acoustic Project'. Laura is an excellent fiddle player, who grew up in San Francisco, and moved to Boston to study the violin. Since then she has appeared with a range of musicians including the recently departed Pete Seeger.
The album has ten tracks, all of which would largely fall within the folk, and country music genres. Laura takes on vocals, fiddle, viola and bass, and is ably supported by a string ensemble that comprises some of America's best folk fiddlers and cellists, such as Hanneke Cassel, Natalie Hass, Brittany Hass, Maria Vandersteel and Valerie Thompson.
As can be expected from such a variety of musicians, all pieces here are very atmospheric. The opening number, 'For Catherine' comes across as a slow country lament, with layers of sound built upon each other to produce a striking song. Laura's voice comes across as someone almost lost as she details an encounter with persons fuelled by the demon drink: - “Richmond boys they cheat and steal, drinking brandy wine till they get their fill/No one asked me for a glass, from the bottle pulling long and fast/
First one tasted brandy's lips, third moved on to the bottle's hips/ Oh Catherine, Catherine I will rise/ Gonna see them wear those chains. I will rise, I will rise.”
After this comes the title track, 'Into the Dark', a lovely folky number that has more than a few echoes of Kate Bush's earlier work. The lyrics work really well on this track, a love song that mixes reflections of lovers star gazing as they walk together into the dark: - “We walked out under the stars, inventing constellations/ Fabricating time to wander in. We waited for the comet's arc/ A sign that the world was ending. A flash of green descending."
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As the album wore on, I personally found myself getting a little frustrated, as the majority of songs come across as atmospheric ballads. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this, I did wish that Laura would try something a little different, as she's certainly got the talent and ability. That track did eventually come, although a little late, with the sprightly hoe down of 'Heel To Toe', a song about how people can dance their cares away: -
“Mama's been tired she ain't slept in a week. Baby's been crying all night. Squeak, squeak, squeak/ Me I'm fine, I ain’t go nowhere to go, except down town to dance that heel to toe.”
Overall, whilst at times this album may come across as a little samey, it still is an excellent example of modern folk, and country music, and as a result deserves more than just a listen.
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