Brielle Brown “In Art & Soil The Same” (LP)

Brielle Brown’s “In Art & Soil The Same” is heartfelt, soulful, and even sometimes gospel influenced folk album, in the tradition of singers like Natelie Merchant, and according to Brown herself, “It’s about the delicate closeness of grief and suffering, of the memories stored and storied in our bodies and land, and of quiet power we keep.” The album comes with ten great tracks, all very compelling works produced by her husband Marc Swersky (Joe Cocker, Hilary Duff, Natalie Cole) and titled after a fascinating line in a review of her previous release The Well.

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Along with The Carlile Family Band, In Art & Soil The Same showcases Michelle Moore and Anthony Almonte from the E-Street Band on vocals and percussion, and musicians Aaron Comes (Spin Doctors), Rob Clores (Joan Osbourne, The Black Crowes), Vin Landolfi (Demi Lovato, Tori Kelly). The album was recorded and engineered by Jack Daley (Lenny Kravitz, Beyonce, Sara Bareilles) and mixed by Seth Von Paulus (Smashing Pumpkins, Christina Aguilera, Linda Perry).

In Art & Soil The Same, the tracks just get better as they go, and it comes with a lyric book containing the words of each track, which helps get a grasp of the meaning of them, which helps tremendously to keep the listener compelled. Starting with “Blessing” it’s easy to tell it’s going to be a good record once you hear her voice and the quality in which these songs are all written, and it just asks the question what’s going on in the world. Followed by the depth of such tracks as “A New Sacred,” and “Tethered” which precede with more details, and there’s so much more to go.

“Get Back To The Garden” is credited to feature The Carlie Family Band, and it’s as good as anything to be found on “In Art & Soil The Same.” In fact, these songs all come with a breath of familiarity that takes you back to when music was generally all this quality compared to the present which this album only reflects in the topics and subject matter, otherwise to be considered old school in the best way possible. You just don’t get this every day anymore, and one of my favorite tracks is “Birthright” with its mesmerizing vocals about the burdens we bury.

Other standout tracks on “In Art & Soil The Same” include the incredible “Dust n’ Bone” with its darker vibes making it another standout track, as Brown gets more intense with each moment on the album, and this one is no exception with its haunting melody and powerful lyrics. “Old Lessons In A New World” proves to show what the album is all about, and it works wonders around her excellent cover of Don Henley’s “The Heart Of The Matter” and “Hymn In C” which is another classic folk gem. It all lives up to the standard in which Brielle is known for and to be expected, and she may have saved the best for last on “Beautiful” making an epic exit.

Mark Druery