AMY HELM : WHAT THE FLOOD LEAVES BEHIND

AMY HELM : WHAT THE FLOOD LEAVES BEHIND

Verse 23
Breathing
Cotton And The Cane
Are We Running Out Of Love?
Carry It Alone
Wait For The Rain
Sweet Mama
Calling Home
Terminal B
Renegade Heart

Label : Renew Records

Length : 33:26

Release Year : June 18, 2021

Review (Bluestown Music)) : Ze ligt erbij als een plaatje, de door de vloed aangespoelde Amy Helm, haar blonde krullen kunstig gedrapeerde in het tot rust gekomen water. Bloemen drijven naast haar knappe koppie. Een zondvloed of een woeste overstroming is het niet geweest, het water dat Amy zachtjes op de kust heeft afgezet. Het levert wél een fraai plaatje op. Fraai is ook de muziek die Helm ons voorschotelt op haar derde solo-album. Helm woont tegenwoordig in de buurt van The Barn, de studio van haar vader Levon Helm. Dochter Amy was jarenlang als organisator en muzikant betrokken bij de 'Midnight Ramble Sessions', die jarenlang in The Barn plaatsvonden. Helm noemt de studio een 'temple of music', waar ze zich thuis en op haar gemak voelt. Die tempel, die kerk, zorgt er mogelijk voor dat gospel in bijna alle nummers in meer of mindere mate doorklinkt. Dat was op het debuutalbum van folkcollectief Ollabelle (2004) ook al nadrukkelijk het geval. Op 'What The Flood Leaves Behind' zorgen soulfull backing vocals, het ronkende geluid van de B-3 Hammond en de geïnspireerde zang van Helm voor de gospelklankkleur. Helm zelf neemt, behalve zang, ook mandoline, piano en drums voor haar rekening. Fraai aan het album is dat Helm in staat is de genoemde gospel-feel te combineren met folk en country, zoals ze dat ook al deed met Ollabelle. De composities zijn hoofdzakelijk van de hand van Helm, vaak in combinatie met anderen. Zo schreef ze samen met Mary Gauthier het met een lekker orgel ingekleurde Cotton and the Cane. Het laatste woord geef ik aan een Amerikaanse recensent. Amerikaanse muziek verdient Amerikaanse loftuitingen: 'Amy Helm reflects as powerfully and gloriously as she sings throughout the album's 10 songs, as if a velvety songbird fluttering across a vast spectrum of settings, and mindsets. Within the glossy, urgent folk music of Daniel Norgren's "Are We Running Out of Love," she offers a gorgeous but crucial plea for these troubled times. Subtle mandolin, percussion, and piano carry the lamenting "Carry it Alone," as Helm ponders a past relationship and her future, with promise and wonder in her voice. "Renegade Heart" closes this crowning achievement of an album with the gospel-tinged truth, signaling the new rise of a singular talent.' (www.tahoeonstage.com; Tom Clarke)

Review (All About Jazz) : Amy Helm possesses all the inner direction, motivation and independence of her father, Levon, the drummer and vocalist for The Band. As evidence of those inherent character traits, she projects her personality with no traces of self-consciousness not only in her collaborations-Sisters of the Strawberry Moon's Solstice (New West Records, 2019), produced by the North Mississippi Allstars' Luther Dickinson- but also her solo projects like What The Flood Leaves Behind. Her third effort to date is an elegant mix of folk, gospel, country and rock that transcends glib categorization like 'Americana.' There is no shortage of artists (fortunately) who made good use of their time in the 2020 quarantine, but based on the opening song here, this woman would seem to be one who had the rare gift of seeing beyond the immediate circumstances. The solemnity of producer Josh Kaufman's gospel-oriented grand piano gives way to choppy percussion and group vocals on "Breathing," a metaphor for the process of reopening if there was one, especially as the horns (Stuart Bogie on tenor saxophone and Jordan McLean on trumpet) enter to both broaden the scope of the arrangement and bolster the high spirits of the performance. In addition to playing some of the same multiple instruments here as Helm herself (mandolin, piano, drums), the aforementioned keyboardist handles some additional ones (harmonium, percussion) that complement the musicianship of one Phil Cook, who made such exemplary contributions as songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist to Oliver Wood's Always Smilin' (Honey Jar Records, 2021). One of a cadre of accompanists who contour their talent(s) to songs such as "Are We Running Out of Love," this versatile individual becomes fully integrated into a unit bonded through the recording at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, New York. Their collective persona exhibits the same taste and elegance as Helm. Understandably then, her distinctions do not bespeak an insular attitude: just as the latter-named tune written by Daniel Norgren speaks indirectly but nonetheless pointedly to a culture divided upon itself, the main artist co-composed "Carry It Alone:" it stands as a practical sign of the indispensable collaborative efforts in play (a subtext of the prior composition). Indeed, the whole of this roughly thirty-five minutes of earthy, soulful music reflects both the general symbolic imagery of the cover photo and the specificity of the lyrics printed inside the sleeves of the package. In keeping with the adage about the tone of being set at the top, Amy Helm's dignified voice and style of vocal phrasing and delivery carry attributes of resilience and perseverance. As such, her singing never gets lost in the mix of the most dense arrangements here; for instance, just as she retains her prominence as the undisputed focal point of "Sweet Mama," appearing at the very center of the electric guitar, horns and harmony vocals, so she commands the simpler likes of "Terminal B." With its tacit reference to travel, that last track supplies a dramatic introduction to "Renegade Heart," the somber likes of which echo the very outset of these ten cuts. This album's penultimate selection, however, becomes an ode to stability before it's over, just like this record of Amy Helm's.

Review (Spectrum Culture) : Amy Helm could have tried to escape her dad's shadow. Having a father like Levon Helm of The Band might provoke the anxiety of influence; an adolescent need to differentiate could have sent her on an entirely different track. Amy Helm, though, built a career somewhat parallel to her dad's, performing in his band during various eras (along with her own Ollabelle) and helping organize the famous Midnight Rambles. It's long been clear that she's her own unique talent, and if What the Flood Leaves Behind marks a homecoming in some ways, it's also one more piece of Helm's impressive work apart from her heritage. That heritage matters, at least a little. Helm has never sounded like her dad, but she seems to have inherited his love for genre-blending. Flood pulls together a variety of roots styles. It's easy to imagine the songwriter and multi-instrumentalist performing intimate folk numbers on her own, yet her strong voice sounds just as good over Memphis soul. This third solo album continues to blend country, blues and gospel, focusing broad swaths of music for a cohesive release. While her listening continues to travel, Helm came home to record the album, returning to Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock. The location provided comfort and tradition, but it didn't mean that Helm was coasting. Bringing in producer and musician Josh Kaufman (from Bonny Light Horseman, gaining further attention from his work with Taylor Swift) helped shape the sound of the album. Helm wrote much of the album herself, but collaborations provide some of the highlights. Her poppier version of the underappreciated Daniel Norgren's "Are We Running out of Love?" gives the song a different sort of urgency. Instead of parroting his haunting version, Helm's vocal adds some frustration and a hint of desperation. MC Taylor (of Hiss Golden Messenger) wrote opener "Verse 23" for Helm, which gives the album its title as well as a sort of creative direction. "Cotton and the Cane," co-written with Mary Gauthier several years ago, draws the most direct connection to Helm's lineage, going back to Arkansas to reflect on her own roots. Recording it in Woodstock makes a nice cap for it (as does the fact that you can hear Garth Hudson's influence in the organ part). Even with all the collaboration, What the Flood Leaves Behind delivers intimate, personal stories. As with "Cotton and the Cane," Helm looks at her own life in her own words, drawing on her past, her present career and even the next generation (one of her sons makes a brief appearance on the album). "Calling Home" requests her dad's help, to "take me by the hand," as she discovers it's "easier to breathe" at home with family. The song has a bit of Memphis in it, supporting Helm's soulful vocals with a fitting groove. Flood delivers Helm's voice as both a vocalist and a lyricist. She travels from Arkansas to New York, picking up all the sounds in between, highlighting her country-soul strengths. Safe at home in Woodstock, she finds the place to create something wonderful in both its reflection and its confidence.