BuzzFlash Reviews

March 9, 2005

Anais Mitchell: Hymns for the Exiled CD

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The lyrics of Anais Mitchell are so compelling for a 24-year-old that they leave you yearning for more, such as this refrain from "before the eyes of storytelling girls":

"i could tell you stories like the government tells lies
ah, but no one listens anymore
in the rooms, the women come and go
talking on the mobile phones
and the television talks about the war"

And yet once you start listening to Anais Mitchell sing her stories, you can't stop. It's what it must have been like sitting in a cafe in Greenwich Village in the early '60s and hearing the lyrics of the great folk singers in their still formative stages. You know something special is going on as the chattering voices die down to better hear the poetic and political words of a troubadour.

We first heard Anais Mitchell when this cut of her song "1984" was sent to us (MP3):

"down at headquarters, there's a big database
with black and white photos of the side of your beautiful face
and your library record, and all your test scores
and an invitation to party like it's 1984

baby, don't look so nervous, they just want the facts
and it's all written out in the usa patriot act
cause we don't take no chances in a nation at war
so tonight we're gonna party like it's 1984"

Then we contacted Anais and she sent us her new album, "Hymns for the Exiled." We listened to the CD on our way home and were transported into another world of youthful commitment, poetic turns of phrase, political insight, and beautiful imagery. It was a magic moment in a mundane rush hour.

Mitchell, the daughter of a novelist father and community activist mother who was raised in Vermont, is an unabashed folk singer and advocate of peace. She even beautifully weaves Arabic into a couple of her songs if for no other reason than to illustrate through music that we are one people in this great sea of humanity.

Mitchell is distributed through the Waterburg label, which tries to keep the tradition of folk music alive.

Andrew Calhoun, the owner of Waterbug Music writes:

"It is rare thing when a songwriter can deliver a powerful political message without compromise to the songs' poetic value. Mitchell's fusion of American roots music with high literary sensibility and broad cultural/political understanding is something new. An enormous presence on the stage, with a mix of girlishness and fierce intellect, Anais is utterly disarming. The raw, sweet timbre of her voice and serene picking style draw you in, and her dazzling lyrics keep you there. On "Hymns for the Exiled" she writes from the perspective of an Arabian woman; an American child caught between terrifying reality and anti-terrorist rhetoric; of the cynical political use of the survivors of the Quecreek Flood; of the death of an Austin drummer, and her grandmother's dress."

In the age of Clear Channel Britney Spears branded bubble gum Michael Jackson automaton singers, just remember that in another age, it was the likes of a young folk singer like Bob Dylan who became the voice of a generation that fought for civil rights and peace.

Anais Mitchell sings in that spirit.

Courtesy of Anais, you can also listen to "Before the Eyes of Storytelling Girls."

Mitchell's CD is a preview of a new premium series debuting next week. Written by Tony Peyser, "Blue State Jukebox" will share with BuzzFlash readers music that speaks to progressives, liberals and those of us with a blue state mind.

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