Strange Conversation
Encyclopedia
Strange Conversation is an album by singer/songwriter Kris Delmhorst
, released in 2006.
poem A Toccata of Galuppi's
, Delmhorst reflects on the composers times and style:
"And the minor third so bitter, the six chord like a sigh,
suspension, solution, asking must we die, must we die must we die?
And the seventh says well fellas, life might not last, but we can try…"
Strange Conversations was recorded at the same time as Delmhorst's follow up CD, Shotgun Singer
.
Kris Delmhorst
Kris Delmhorst is an American singer-songwriter who is part of the Boston folk scene. She was involved in producing 1998's Respond compilation, a fundraiser for domestic violence groups, and it included her song Weatherman. In 1999, she released a live album with The Vinal Avenue String Band,...
, released in 2006.
History
Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Delmhorst takes on setting some works of famous poets to music along with her own original compositions. The lead off track is named after Italian composer Baldassare Galuppi. Inspired by and quoting heavily from the Robert BrowningRobert Browning
Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:...
poem A Toccata of Galuppi's
A Toccata of Galuppi's
"A Toccata of Galuppi's" is a poem by Robert Browning, originally published in the 1855 collection Men and Women. The title refers to the fact that the speaker is either playing or listening to a toccata by the 18th-century Venetian composer Baldassare Galuppi.-Musical background:It is not known...
, Delmhorst reflects on the composers times and style:
"And the minor third so bitter, the six chord like a sigh,
suspension, solution, asking must we die, must we die must we die?
And the seventh says well fellas, life might not last, but we can try…"
Strange Conversations was recorded at the same time as Delmhorst's follow up CD, Shotgun Singer
Shotgun Singer
Shotgun Singer is an album by American singer/songwriter Kris Delmhorst, released in 2008.-History:Delmhorst recorded Shotgun Singer in a rural cabin with minimal recording gear by herself. Once completed, she brought in various players to add to the songs, including her husband Jeffrey Foucault...
.
Reception
Critic Joe Viglione of Allmusic called Strange Conversation "an impressive and ambitious work that is evidence of the sophistication enveloping the Kris Delmhorst catalog and one hopes that these important musings get noticed beyond the cult that realizes something very special is happening here."Track listing
All songs by Kris Delmhorst unless noted.- "Galuppi Baldassare" – 4:15
- "We'll Go No More A-RovingSo, we'll go no more a roving"So, we'll go no more a roving" is a poem, written by Lord Byron , and included in a letter to Thomas Moore on 28 February 1817. Moore published the poem in 1830 as part of Letters and Journals of Lord Byron....
" (ByronGeorge Gordon Byron, 6th Baron ByronGeorge Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
, Delmhorst) – 3:04 - "Light of the Light" – 4:34
- "Since You Went Away" (Delmhorst, James Weldon JohnsonJames Weldon JohnsonJames Weldon Johnson was an American author, politician, diplomat, critic, journalist, poet, anthologist, educator, lawyer, songwriter, and early civil rights activist. Johnson is remembered best for his leadership within the NAACP, as well as for his writing, which includes novels, poems, and...
, Olson) – 3:06 - "Strange Conversation" – 3:36
- "The Drop & The Dream" – 3:04
- "Invisible Choir" – 3:44
- "Pretty How Town" (e. e. cummingsE. E. CummingsEdward Estlin Cummings , popularly known as E. E. Cummings, with the abbreviated form of his name often written by others in lowercase letters as e.e. cummings , was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright...
, Delmhorst) – 1:57 - "Tavern" (Delmhorst, Edna St. Vincent MillayEdna St. Vincent MillayEdna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
) – 3:42 - "Water, Water" – 2:40
- "Sea Fever" (Delmhorst, John MasefieldJohn MasefieldJohn Edward Masefield, OM, was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death in 1967...
) – 3:43 - "Everything Is Music" – 3:55
Personnel
- Kris Delmhorst – vocals, acoustic guitar, fiddle, piano, cello, background vocals
- Kevin Barry – electric and acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, dobro, piano, background vocals
- Mark Chenevert – clarinet, tenor sax
- Lorne Entress – drums, percussion, background vocals
- Dave Harris – trombone, tuba
- Paul Kochanski – double bass, background vocals
- Mike Peipman – trumpet
- Chris Rival – organ
- Tom West – Hammond organ
Production
- Produced by Kris Delmhorst
- Engineered and mixed by Chris Rival
- Mastered by Dave McNair
- Photography by Megan Summers
- Translation by Coleman Barks
- Artwork and design by Brian Turner