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Patty Larkin: Red=Luck

By Glenn Astarita
March 7, 2003
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Vocalist/guitarist Patty Larkin stands tall among her peers. She enjoys near- hero status in the New England area to coincide with an honorary doctorate from her alma mater; the "Berklee College of Music." So what’s all the fuss about? Well, Larkin is a magnificent composer who possesses the insight and confidence of a poet laureate, type rock star.

Larkin receives superb support from her electric guitar players, who execute a hodgepodge of textural sound sculptures, sinuous slide-based excursions, and worldly harmonic ventures. On pieces such as “The Cranes,” the artist sings a darkly mystifying yet melodically engaging chorus amid her hush-toned vocal delivery. She covers quite a bit of lyrically charged musical terrain, spanning the innocence of childhood in concert with deeply personalized balladry. Backed by her rhythm section’s rock solid backbeats, this affair translates into one of the more intelligent alternative rock/folk tinged productions in recent memory. These two and three minute songs interconnect, yet remain starkly distinct when viewed from disparate angles. Hence, great things loom on the horizon from this already acclaimed stylist. (Indisputably recommended.)

Patty Larkin

Vanguard Records

Track Listing

1.All That Innocence 2.24/7/365 3.The Cranes 4.Children 5.Italian Shoes 6.Birmingham 7.Too Bad 8.Home 9.Different World 10.Normal 11.Red=Luck 12.Inside Your Painting 13.St. Augustine 14.Louder

Personnel

Patty Larkin

Patty Larkin: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica, Backing Vocals Ben Wittman: Drums Richard Gates: Bass Mike Rivard: Sintir John Hickey: Electric Guitar Marc Shulman: Electric Guitar Duke Levine: Electric Guitar Jeff Lang: Slide Guitar Seamus Egan: Low Flute & Mandolin Mick McAuley: Button Accordion Winifred Horan: Fiddle Merrie Amsterburg: Backing Vocals Jonatha Brooke: Backing Vocals Bette Warner: Talking Tim Craven: Electric Guitar Gideon Freudmann: Cello Jennifer Kimball: Backing Vocals Willy Porter: Backing Vocals, Thumb Piano

Album information

Title: Red=Luck | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Vanguard Records

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