Kate Tucker & The Sons Of Sweden Kate Tucker & The Sons Of Sweden by: Walter Rodriguez Wed:13-Feb-08 Label: Red Valise Year: 2007 WB rating 65 out of 100

Perhaps it is the image of Kate Tucker warmly embracing her guitar, her shadow reverberating on the lush lemon background; or maybe it is the knowing look of despair on Tucker’s face, but there is something in her self-titled debut that draws you back to a time when you would keenly thumb through the album artwork. The best thing about this aesthetically pleasing package though, is not its beauty, but the revelation of melancholy running continuously throughout this record – solidifying listener expectations and strengthening arguments for the continued expression of music in its physical and complete form.

Having teamed up with the Sons of Sweden [Nick Danielson (keys), Cameron Herrington (drums), Mark Isakson (guitar) and BJ Myers (bass)] it would be easy to pigeonhole Tucker and her crew as another indie folk group – comparisons to Beth Orton, The Cranberries’ Dolores O'Riordan and Cat Power are abound when referring to Tucker. But from the commencing Cranberries-esque ‘The Hours’, ownership of the album is quickly established, the singer’s introspective dilemmas of loss, longing and despair twinged with a touch that remains her own despite any reference points.

For Tucker her expression comes more from a purging of emotions, than self loathing or pity-seeking – this attribute a key factor in the ability of the album to draw empathy from the listener, instead of the whitewash that doom-laden records can bring. And while familiarity is evident, distinction is born out of this emotion, layered harmonies fusing together with the intelligent folk inspired arrangements of Nick Danielson and Co.

A strong separator between good folk and bad folk has always been the depth of the lyricism and here Tucker’s talent easily places here on the right side of the spectrum, particularly on the tracks ‘In Your Dreams’ and ‘On the Radio’. Another of folk’s key traits has been its ‘softy layered vocal dynamics’ and ‘finger picked guitar patterns’, and while Tucker’s use of these techniques is not earth shattering, the nuance and deft which she applies adds some legs to a well used format – Haunting guitar and piano melodies enhanced by complementary drumming, all spliced by the trendy ‘new folk’ technique of delays and other effects.

Recorded at Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, Washington, the combination of ‘new’ and ‘old’ folk techniques is kept remarkably uncluttered via the talents of producer Ryan Hadlock (Blonde Redhead, The Gossip, Holy Ghost Revival) whose handiwork ensures the album sounds clear and has the required continuity. This production is a great strength and brings the best out of both Tucker and her band, particularly on the melodic pop undertones of ‘Faster then Cars Drive’.

The strength of production aside, Tucker’s proudest work on this album lay in its closing track, ‘In the End’. Featuring the guest vocals of Seattle folk luminary Damien Jurado, the country influence is more prominent than at any other point on the recording, slide guitar fusing well with Jurado’s balladry. Tucker description of the song as ‘similar to the feeling of the warmth from a camp fire’ suggesting that she has a talent for self-appraisal as well as song construction.

There is no doubting the beauty of this album. It mystically sways between light and dark, using a wise combination of rich vocals and smart arrangements.  The end result is a good, well-crafted, thoughtful album, albeit one that is too linear to draw any praise beyond this.