Nancy Bryan
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
A kind of alternative pop/folk and folk/rock
Status:
Moost recent release, Memories (2011)
See also:
All Music's entry for Nancy Bryan
Comparisons:
A slightly more mainstream version of The McGarrigles perhaps. (Neile)
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
Nancy Bryan seems to be most strongly a songwriter, having done work on several pop and Disney albums. She has only released one of her own albums, Lay Me Down, where her songwriting talents are clear. While this isn't the kind of music I usually like, her songwriting in the traditional pop/folk vein is strong. She has a sort-of violin-like voice: thinnish, expressive, with a little tremelo in it, which reminds me of The McGarrigles. I would say her songwriting compares with theirs as well, but she's more earnest and doesn't have their quirky wit—instead she has a way of writing clean tunes and lyrics that are so well-constructed you know them on first listen—not that they bore you with familiarity but that they have a sense of clear, conscious, careful construction. (Neile)
Recommended first album:
Lay Me Down
Recordings:
- Lay Me Down (1995)
- Neon Angel (2001)
- The Pilgrim (2009)
- Memories (2011)
Release info:
1995—Analogue Productions—APO 2002
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Recommended for those intrigued by the description
Group members:
Nancy Bryan—vocals, keyboard, acoustic guitar, rhythm
Guest artists:
John Koenig—electric guitars, acoustic guitars, Hammond B-3 organ, basses, tambourine, shaker, percussion, electronic drum, cello
John Bryan—acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Dan Schwartz—bass, Moog synthesizer, Hastrom 8-string bass
Burleigh Drummond—drums, backing vocals, percussion, marimba, concert bass drum, tambourine
Peter Erskine—drums
Jerry Scheff—string bass
Jimmy Johnson—bass
Produced by:
John Koenig
Comments:
I bought this without ever hearing of her before because it was so inexpensive it was worth picking up sound unheard. Listening to it I'm not knocked out, but there's enough in here, especially songwriting skill, to keep me wanting to hear it again. A couple of songs are a little mainstream folky-sounding for me, like "come back to me", but to counteract that there's the delightfully trippy "i'll be waiting" and the quietly insistent "Sweet Havana". A charming range within the folk/pop world. (Neile)
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