An expectant sell-out crowd awaits Californian singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy this evening at that most intimate Birmingham venue, the wonderful Sunflower Lounge. Indeed, she has to fight her way through the crowd and tonight’s first triumph is that she even makes it to the stage, where she then proceeds to hold the audience in rapt attention as she delivers the highlights of her debut album, this year’s brilliant Emotions and Math, throwing in a couple of new songs and some intriguing covers along the way.
She is joined on stage by bass player Spencer Zahn (Twin Shadow) and drummer Tim Kuhl and together they demonstrate that the power of three can be very effective in a live setting, Glaspy taking guitar duty and the band’s dynamic going at turns from a stark, early PJ Harvey sound, all the way through to the more delicate palette of Maria McKee or Laura Marling. Glaspy, though, has a sound all of her own and much of this is down to her distinctive vocal.
The album’s title track opens the show and the crowd is instantly smitten; it is one of the most commercial songs on an album that demonstrates effectively the quality of Glaspy’s songwriting. ‘Pins and Needles’ follows; faithful to the recorded version, it is one of many tracks that employs a ‘less is more’ aesthetic. It could have been arranged by Steve Albini.
‘No Matter Who’ has more of a country feel, in the vein of Shelby Lynne, before the evening’s first cover is a run through Lucinda Williams‘ ‘Fruits Of My Labor’ (“One of my favourite artists”, explains Glaspy before delivering a breathtaking version).
Album closer ‘Black Is Blue’ is followed by three solo songs, with Glaspy just accompanied by her guitar: a pin-drop reverence is received from the audience. One of these stripped-down songs is a cover of Lauryn Hill‘s ‘Ex-Factor’, which is delivered in a breathtakingly original arrangement and follows a story about Glaspy sharing a room with her sister when she was a child, and having to listen to The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill every day for four years! It obviously didn’t harm her liking for that particular song. A solo version of ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ follows and is as heartfelt as it is unexpected.
‘You Don’t Want Me’ picks the pace up again, before an as-yet-untitled new song leads in yet another inspired cover: Bjork‘s ‘Who Is It’ which would no doubt have certain talent show folk declaring “You made it your own”!
‘Anthony’ is another album highlight, and features a touch of humour in the lyrics, from self-deprecation to vicious put-downs of the titular gentleman, “Anthony never gave me anything / No diamond wedding ring / Oh why did I lay by his side?”
The marvellous single ‘You and I’ and then ‘Somebody To Anybody’ send the audience on their way, confident in the feeling that they have done well to see Margaret Glaspy in such a small venue. Next time around, she is likely to have progressed on at least a couple of levels as her star is very much in the ascendancy.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Glaspy Facebook Page
