holley4734
When I was trying to think of how to describe Birds of Chicago, the term Americana kept coming up. I’m not as familiar with Americana so I had to Google it.
According to Americanamusic.org, “Americana is contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music styles, including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B, and blues, resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw.”
I would say that the description pretty much sums up the sound of Birds of Chicago. Of course, it’s hard to keep the Birds of Chicago in just one cage . . . I mean, category.
Birds of Chicago is a husband and wife duo, JT Nero and Allison Russell. Originally, they were in different musical groups. Nero was with JT and the Clouds. Russell was in Po’ Girl.
Russell’s voice was the selling point for listening to this album. Her voice is like honey, so sweet and beautiful. I think the music is almost timeless. We could listen to this album in a 1920s speakeasy just as easily as we could listen to it now.
Awesome things about this album:
- Russell’s voice. I could listen to it for eternity.
- The lyrics. Meaningful lyrics never hurt anyone. Well, maybe a little heartbreak. Heartbreak builds character so you can write meaningful lyrics.
- Their music is authentic. Every note and emotion are real.
Some of the proceeds from American Flowers benefits Chicago’s Teen Living programs, a non-profit that helps teens who homeless and at risk for being homeless.
Holley,
Birds of Chicago is new-to-me so I appreciated the introduction as I’m always on the look for artists that move me. I like Americana and/or Folkstyle mewsic so this husband & wife duo is a shoe-in with my mewsic taste. I like JT’s vocals a lot. Allison’s voice I’m a bit unsure on right now but then it usually takes me a bit to warm up to female vocals if there’s not instant connection. At the moment, I’m playing one of their YT playlists in the background while I leave this message. The song I like the best so far is “Flying Dreams is “Flying Dreams” but I just realized it’s not from the “American Flowers” album you’re reviewing so let me click on it. 🙂 My favorite tracks from today’s featured album are “Eastern Sky”, “American Flower”, and “Étoile d’ Amour (Stardust)”. That last song is the style I think that suits Allison best – very beautifully done! Now, I could listen to her singing arrangements done like that forever! Thanks for the share and for the dance. Have a funtastic weekend, dearie! 😉 Monday is “your choice song picks” on the dance floor, so I hope you’ll join the 4M crew!
Yay! I’m so glad that you like their music!! I think they have an even new album out that I haven’t listened to yet. I will try to remember to pick something for Monday. 🙂
My sister in law is big into Americana; I haven’t listened to it all that much. I listened to three songs from the album but was attracted to a different song, “Real Midnight”, the title song of a different album. It would make good background music.