Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: GUEST,Nygel Goose
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 03:07 PM

Elle is fantastic !

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: Continuity Jones
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 09:15 AM

I have her first album and parts of it are great. I too have been wondering where she got to, so look forward to these new releases.

Her first album suffered, I feel, from being rather samey sonically - but if you just took 4 or 5 songs on the go it works a treat. I'm interested in how her sound has changed throughout these years.

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 06:17 AM

well I must admit the reason I asked how it compared with her first album is that I didn't think her first album was very good. I read reviews and it sounded right up my street, but her singing and violin playing was frankly a bit ropey on it. And not in an "experimental music/dissonant" kind of way: her pitching was just off, painfully flat a lot of the time. I do think that's why it helps to have a producer on an album, or at least an engineer who's not shy of pointing out that kind of thing to a client.

But I've heard her play live a couple of times and she's been fine.

And the clip of new stuff on the website sounds great.

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 06:15 AM

Valmai - you'll be pleased to hear, then, that there is an absolutely stunning unaccompanied version of Fair Annie on the forthcoming album. Proper goosebump stuff.

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 03:14 AM

Elle's Website is http://elleo.com - you can hear sample recordings there.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 03:09 AM

Elle did an excellent booking for us at the Lewes Saturday Folk Club last year. There was a lot to enjoy, but for me the outstanding item was her spellbinding performance of the ballad Fair Annie.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: Anglo
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 01:50 AM

I wondered if she was still out there. I met her in Massachusetts when she was in the States quite a while ago. Bought the CD :-) But I hadn't seen any reference to her for a long time.

Keep it up, Gal!

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: GUEST,HampsteadDirtFarmer
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 01:53 PM

>>Think of Peter Paul and Mary, the Kingston Trio and Bellowhead: right, Elle Osborne is nothing like any of them.

LOL! I'll have to go and check her out now. I like Bellowhead though.

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: greg stephens
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 07:13 AM

Great, one to look out for. Elle Osborne's music is not for the faint-hearted but I find it quite rivetting. You need to concentrate and accept her conventions. Indescribable stuff really. Think of Peter Paul and Mary, the Kingston Trio and Bellowhead: right, Elle Osborne is nothing like any of them.

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 07:03 AM

Sorry, Joe - message recieved and understood! I did wonder if my reply to Matt might shift this from promotion to overkill...

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The general idea is that we should have no more than one thread to promote a new album - I don't see any overpromotion for Elle, and I'd like to know more about her.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Jan 11 - 06:10 PM

Hey, shameless promotion is a good thing....within limits.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 11 Jan 11 - 06:09 PM

Hi Matt! The e.p. is quite different to Testimony (it is ten years on!). All the songs are Elle's own, though her rootedness in traditional music is very clearly present. The arrangements are fairly sparse - voice, some fiddle, cello and lap steel... and Elle's past involvement in sound art installations comes through in the use of samples and found sound. It's a strong, almost austere sounding record, leavened with a touch of vulnerability. Does that answer the question? The album due in the spring, So Slowly Slowly Got She Up, is mainly traditional songs from unaccompanied versions to full band arrangements, featuring Alex and Stevie from Trembling Bells and guest appearances from the Tylers and Ali Roberts.

Subject: RE: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 11 Jan 11 - 12:53 PM

how does it compare with her previous album?

Subject: Review: Elle Osborne - Good Grief
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 11 Jan 11 - 11:57 AM

More shameless promotion...

Elle Osborne's Good Grief e.p. which is released in 24th Jan but which you can get already at the Folk Police website has started to get some great reviews! You can hear one of the tracks at the link above.

This is what John Mulvey had to say writing in Uncut Magazine's Wild Mercury Sounds blog. And this is what Tim Carroll said over at Folkwords.

Cheers,

Spleen