GREY DE LISLE
The Graceful Ghost (Sugar Hill)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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I first heard the exquisite voice of Grey De Lisle a year ago on a wonderful indie country release called Homewrecker, and I knew a bigger label would be noticing her. I just have to toot my own horn here, because I was telling my friends it'd be Vanguard or Sugar Hill, and by God, it's Sugar Hill. What do I win?

Well, apparently I don't win anything, but on the other hand I do get a hell of a CD to review and listen to over and over. De Lisle and husband Murray Hammond (Old 97's) make a great team. She writes the tunes and he brings just the right musical expression to them. She seems to have a real understanding of American folk history, as if she feels it and channel it through the songs. Where Homewrecker was so successful in creating a small town in the middle of modern nowhere, The Graceful Ghost seems to take us back to other times and places. The empyreal sounds of her voice and the lone acoustic guitar on several of the tracks are a powerful combination. The simplicity allows the songs themselves to have your full attention, and believe me, they stand up on their own. Sometimes with subject matter that'll leave you less than perky -- death in battle, death of parents, death of relationships... kind of a death motif -- but you won't be anything less than impressed and moved. Country music is starved for real country artists, and they've certainly found one in Grey De Lisle.

© 2004 - DJ Johnson