Anna Vogelzang: Canary in a Coal Mine
Who is this Ms. Vogelzang? And why should we care about her? The internet won’t help much and I wish I could give you a clinical history of her discog or else some sort of back story to catch you up to her most recent release, Canary in a Coal Mine. But it seems it doesn’t exist, so let’s allow her to remain a mystery as I introduce you to her music.
Such as romance goes, did you ever want to date an artist as pretty as s/he was talented? I have, and this makes me think I need to see her live, because I may or may not be in love with Ms. Vogelzang. She’s got a voice that bristles between training and conviction, it bursts when emotion gets the better of her. I know her only goal on Canary is to try and seduce me, and while recognizing this these bits of honest relation only endear me all the more. You hear her voice crack and spit in places as she falls slightly off key owing to the gut infliction placed over her lyrics, leading me to suspect the worst. She might actually mean what she’s singing.
Honesty is a crime unforgivable in the music world. The reason is two-fold. First and foremost is because you’re soul won’t sell. Trust me on this, the devil isn’t interested, and so it seems neither is the music industry. Secondly, and more personally, is it takes an unbelievable amount of courage to get on that stage, to stand behind that mic and strip yourself naked for the whole world, (and especially people like me) to pick apart to the bone.
So to do both, to be honest whilst trying to sell something is an admirable feat, and Ms. Vogelzang does it well. Simply put, look at her name, Zimmerman is more marketable, but she sticks by her guns, shooting from the hip to strike you down. And she’s got the musicianship to back it up.
She’s got something of a folk delivery, there’s no denying that, but amidst the banjo lines, the creeping swell of accordions, and the fiddle’s tinkering, Canary manages to retain some aspect of pop sensibility. Sure it offers a lament or two, but then see tracks like “So Long,” and try not to tap your foot and sing along. Then give “Whiskey Drawn” a go and tell me she doesn’t know how to stick a finger in your face with accusations. The first few spins I honestly thought the song was about E.D. which delighted me all the more for the way it turned me red from my own memories.
With songs about Texas, death and volcanoes, there are few topics Ms. Vozelgang doesn’t touch on that you couldn’t relate to. Much like the title of the album, we’ll see how you fair, dear reader, our sweet innocent bluebird, in the depths of the music Anna’s mined for us.
Rating: 6.3/10
MP3: Anna Vogelzang “So Long”
Buy: iTunes
Anna Vogelzang: Canary in a Coal Mine
