Half Seas Over by acclaimed Australian guitarist, singer and songwriter Jeff Lang is an album resonant with story and song.
With his eloquent guitar, sweet voice and plainspoken yet sensitive approach to the original and traditional source material, Jeff Lang is expanding the boundaries of traditional folk, country and blues to create a new brand of non-traditional music which is undeniably and deeply steeped in tradition, yet with its imagination set on future horizons.
This powerful and hypnotic recording draws deeply on folk sources – the old, unsettling gothic tales that have passed from musician to musician from century to century – and the simple but compelling sound of acoustic guitar with minimal accompaniment to express the deeper resonances beneath the stories.
Lang’s original compositions, together with a couple of traditional folk songs, testify to the power of music and story to stir our souls and awaken hidden stores of meaning. In Lang's hands, the ordinary becomes an enchanted space; everyday and domestic tales reveal themselves with heroic dimensions and tragic consequences. And his songwriting mastery can be seen in the smallest details -- from the wiry whiskers on an old lady's chin to a dress clinging to a barmaid’s body in the small town heat.
Arranged with the utmost simplicity, the duo format of Lang’s superb guitar accompanied by Grant Cummerford’s deft bass playing allows the stories of Half Seas Over to be delivered in their utmost power. As the quiet intensity of their playing builds, driven by the relentless pace of each story, the duo paint indelible pictures – a copper miner closing his eyes to dream of flight, a murderer watching the wind ruffle the water that will be his lover’s grave.
Inspired by a diverse set of influences, from John Fahey and Richard Thompson to Chris Whitley and Devendra Banhart, from Dock Boggs and Skip James to Dylan and AC/DC, Jeff Lang has created a contemporary classic. Jeff will be touring nationally through May & June to support this release with blues/folk singer songwriter Kara Grainger, in support of her debut solo album, “Grand & Green River”. www.karagrainger.com |
 |
