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 Swerve
Reviews
From Dirty Linen
"Annie Gallup is a mysterious woman, or at least the characters
in her songs are. They seem to look at life with a mixture of sardonic
humor and open-eyed wonder. They muse at length about their highly
imperfect men, who are nonetheless objects of endless fascination
and fond recollection. They pick themselves up when they fall. Part
beat poet, part folk-rapper, part pensive singer/songwriter, Gallup
sounds like she could be recording a soundtrack for the femme fatale
heroine of some modern film noir on Swerve.
"She's backed by a band this time, after having done her previous
album solo, and that allows for some imaginative arrangements on
top of her always sterling guitar work. Her mature, often ironic
lyrics are sharp and abundant, sometime stream-of-consciousness
rich, sometimes laconically insightful. Her vivid, needle-sharp
songs often ponder running away, coming back, or sometimes wanting
to do both at the same time. Her vocal presence is sometimes lushly
sensual, sometimes whimsically flip, sometimes on the frantic edge
of danger and pain. The accompaniment, whether solo guitar or full
band, always builds on the mood she creates with her words and voice.
"'When you told me, honey, you'd love me forever / Was your
money on the end of the world?' she coyly asks in 'Money,' the disc's
opening rocker, flashing a picture of a woman hitting the road to
leave behind an unfaithful lover. 'What I Know,' describing an infatuation
with a shady but fascinating man, is a spoken rap to bass and drum
accompaniment that captures the steamy heat of a city apartment.
'Great Distance' is a quiet solo piece, a softly sensual recollection
of an old love. 'One Two' contrasts the attraction and apprehension
that can be found in romance by alternating the tension of edgy
spoken verses with a bright pop-style chorus.
"These are songs written by a woman who appears to have been
paying attention to life. Whether feeling restless or bemused, reckless
or careful, Gallup is a songwriter and performer of truly rare perception
and consistently impressive ability." | by Tom Nelligan | Back
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From Sing Out!
"With a driving beat, Annie hits the road again with her fifth
release, an apt title for an artist who definitely swerves around
the common path of others before her.
"Fitting what seems like a complete novel in a several minute
song, Gallup leaves you knowing the people she has created, what
they look like, and their innermost passions. Her folk-rap delivery
presents the story lines in a mix of poetry and prose. If she were
on the library shelf she'd be amid the best sellers, and I don't
think that the folk world fully appreciates her lyrical strengths.
She presents usual scenes unusually, playing with words and rhythm,
in a way that often allows little time for us to process her cleverness
and depth.
"Like a good actress she uses spaces and intonation well.
In her comical jaunt with the antics of three buddies all named
Bill, she makes you rely on her delivery to help you keep straight
with which Bill is which. She is not without humor as she makes
clear that their escapades cost her several bills.
"Though she's gathered a great group of players on this current
release (Danny McDermott, Rob Curto, Billy Masters, Gideon Freudmann)
it's still Annie's talents that shine through. Her guitar skills
mirror here word use, scant or flashy, but right on. Annie is predictably
unpredictable. In a traffic flow of common routes and same-old same-old,
Annie will excite folk fans looking for new curves." | by
Angela Page | Back to Reviews | Top
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