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Tift Merritt |
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LIVE REVIEWSLive from Tobacco Road: Shows in and around North Carolina |
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TIFT
MERRITT & THE CARBINES
When Tift Merritt & the Carbines played at the Cat's Cradle a couple of years ago, the sound mix was so bad that I couldn't understand a word that Merritt was singing. But the sound of her voice was so seductive and entrancing that it didn't really matter what she was singing. That night I fell in love with Tift Merritt's voice. On July 13, 2001, Merritt and her Carbines played a show at Fowler's Grocery in Durham--a show where I could hear every word. That night I fell in love with Tift Merritt, the artist. The band set up on the loading dock of an old red-brick tobacco warehouse behind Fowler's. In front of the makeshift stage, the crowd congregated in lawn chairs to get the best view of these rising stars of alternative-country. Others crammed into nooks and crannies around the back porch of the store. The show was sold-out, so those folks without tickets crawled up the grassy bank of railroad tracks near the stage to watch. Merritt & the Carbines treated the crowd to over two hours of music. The band played songs from their forthcoming album, as well as old favorites. Although their set included some honky-tonking foot-stompers like "Juke Joint Girl," most of their songs were slower country ballads. These tunes were filled with tales of lost love and framed by clever Americana imagery. During the show, an occasional crackle flew from the temperamental sound system, but it didn't seem out of place. Instead, the crackles worked with Merritt's voice to evoke the sounds of Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn spinning off of scratchy jukebox vinyl. Merritt brings to mind these classic country icons, but it's not quite that easy to pin down her voice. Her vocals range from delicately ethereal to passionately persuasive--sometimes it flirts with Cline or Lynn, but other moments it hints at Emmylou or even Gillian. Merritt takes the best of these artists and makes them her own--at times producing a sound that surpasses them all. Of all the alternative-country artists, Merritt is one of the best at using her voice as an instrument. Throughout the show, she danced around her microphone to get the perfect vocal phrasing for her words. And the phrasing was perfect, despite the fact she had a cold and juggled cough drops in her mouth between the words and a harmonica! Merritt appeared appreciative, and even embarrassed at times, by the warm response from the crowd--who shot up from creaking lawn chairs to give her and the Carbines a standing ovation. Merritt has the charisma and talent that could take her all the way to the top. She's also been blessed with a tight backing band that delivers just the right amount of accompaniment to support her words. If you're an alternative-country fan, do yourself a favor and catch Merritt & the Carbines while they're still playing juke joints. Waiting too long could mean shelling out fifty bucks and putting up with the pitfalls of a corporate venue for the privilege. Andrew Helminger
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