Album Review: Let It Rise

Avi & Celia's latest offering from the Green Mountain State, Let It Rise, is an odd mix of blue grass, blues and folk-rock, bundled together and following their small EP Off The Floor. Its eleven tracks present a wide range of the duo's skills, and shows that there could be a really bright future for the group.

I've talked about Avi & Celia before, and by and large, I've been impressed with their sound, although I suspect that their greater works are yet to come. They came through Montpelier's Langdon St. Cafe half a year ago, when I first saw them, and caught another show earlier this year. On stage, they're a formittable pair - Avi's strong guitar work and Celia's fantastic vocals paired together make them worth a trip out on a cold Vermont night alone, and if Let It Rise is any indication, they're going to be better still.

This album is far more composed and much more fun than Off The Floor, in my opinion. There's a wider range of style and sound here, and both artists get to really show off their talents throughout. There's a rich tradition of folk and blue grass that they seem to draw off of. Celia especially reminds me of the better qualities of Bonnie Raitt, Nanci Griffith and Alison Krauss, (even a bit of early Grace Potter), which is paticularly striking, especially on tracks such as Rollin' & Tumblin', Seven Years and Ivory Bones, while Avi really shines on a cover of Tecumseh Valley.

The track that's most impressive, however, is Gnomes Time & Place parts 1 and 2 which is both inventive and fun at the same time, and amazes me ever time I hear it, for the complexity of the guitar work and vocals between the two. It's also paticularly catchy with a simple melody that blossoms out once you reach the second part.

The album isn't perfect, and it's clear that the duo is improving, and rapidly, but it is fun. At the latest concert in Montpelier, they announced that they were adding a bassist and drummer to their group, which addresses the bigger of my reservations of the album - while both Avi and Celia are good together, there is an element of their music that feels unsupported, an album of one-off songs that have some missing components to it. While the addition of these instruments here won't work for all of their songs, it would certainly add to several of them, and would open up a number of new avenues for the pair. I can't wait listen to them then, because they'll potentially be just as good as the Nocturals, with a killer blue grass and folk-rock feel to it. The potential is there, and they're off to a fantastic start.

Rollin' & Tumblin' - Avi & Celia

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Concert 1 - Avi & Celia

Set List:
Ripton Gulch
Bud 'n Mary
Before The Fall
Night King
Their Faces
Bag of Sin
Blues Run the Aged
Cold Cold
Trains

I hadn't heard of Avi & Celia prior to this week - a friend of mine mentioned that they were coming in, and it was a good oppertunity to get together, so I got a chance to see them live, and to check out the Langdon Street Cafe, as far as music goes. Avi & Celia got together while studying at the University of Vermont, and they've been writing music and playing together for a couple of years now. Drawing numerous influences from blues, bluegrass, folk and soul, they have a sound that's reminicent of Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and Jesse & Joy. While they have the general sound, they've got a little ways to go before they reach that level, but they're off to a good start. I was able to speak with Celia, who was extremely pleasant and appreciative of the audience, while small, seemed to come out just for them - the crowd thinned quickly after they left the stage. The first thing that struck me was Celia's voice - very strong and with a good vocal range. They've got a good amount of energy behind their music as well. Celia's the stronger of the two vocally, while Avi seemed to know his way around the guitar a little better. While he sounds better on their album, in concert he stuck out a little more, sounding a little out of tune at times. Other times they really click, such as with Night King, Their Faces and Trains. These guys have a good sound, and they're a group to keep an eye on - They just toured with the Wailin' Jennys, and I suspect that they'll get together with a couple of other bands as time goes on. One thing that I did note is that they can hold up spectacularly well without an accompanying bass and drum set. Their guitar and vocal work alone holds together really well, and according to my friends, they've gotten better over time. It would be really interesting to see the pair with the backups, and I think that it would help support a couple of their songs. In any case, I'll keep an eye on them for when they come back up here. Finally, they certainly have some good stage chrisma - with a fantastic and very literal exit off the stage mid-song, and with a good amount of audience interaction during and after the performance.

Next Up - Guster & Brett Denne and A Fine Frenzy & Brandi Carlile

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Three Days, Three Concerts

So, this weekend should be fun and full of sound. As things lined up, I'm going to hit three concerts this weekend.

Friday -
Avi & Celia are out of Vermont, having formed a couple years ago at the University of Vermont (where other notable acts such as Phish formed), and have recently been named the best act of the month by Higher Ground, the best music place in Vermont. They're doing a show at the Langdon Street Cafe, a small music venue in Montpelier.

Saturday -

Up at the University of Vermont, two bands are playing for the school, Guster with Brett Dennen opening for them. I've only listened to a limited number of these guys songs, but I've enjoyed them. Guster recently released their latest album, Ganging Up on the Sun, which has some good songs on it. Brett Dennen's got a folk-ish sound that's quite good. I'm looking forwards to this show, even though I just found out about it about a week ago.

She's Mine - Brett Dennen
Satellite - Guster


Sunday -

This is a show that I've really been looking forwards to for the past month or so, Brandi Carlile with A Fine Frenzy opening. Both women are fantastic singers, each with a fantastic sound. They're playing up at the Higher Ground Music Hall in South Burlington, and this should be a good one.

Rangers - A Fine Frenzy
The Story - Brandi Carlile

I'll most likely be posting up reviews of each of these concerts on Monday, when I get back to my computer, so stay tuned.

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