| Book of Sparrows | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | December 23, 2007 | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Label | Tracy Grammer Music | |||
| Producer | Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry | |||
| Tracy Grammer chronology | ||||
| ||||
Book of Sparrows is a seven-song EP by American folk singer Tracy Grammer released in December, 2007. Grammer accompanies herself on a number of different instruments and also receives support on vocals and various guitars from Jim Henry. She and Henry have been touring together since September 2003.
The seven compositions are all covers from highly acclaimed writer/performers and many of the songs have themes of love and loss. These include titles by established artists such as Paul Simon's "April, Come She Will", and Tom Russell's "Blue Wing". There are also songs by artists who are relative newcomers to the folk scene, like David Francey's "The Waking Hour". Kate Power's "Travis John" tells the story of Corporal Travis John Bradach-Nall, one of the first soldiers from Power's home state of Oregon to die in the Iraq War.
Also, notable are the two songs by her former partner, the late Dave Carter. "Lord of the Buffalo" is a previously unreleased song, and this version of "Gypsy Rose" has been described as a "slower more reflective" take than the one that appeared on her previous album.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Folk Alley |   [1] link |
| FolkWax | (8/10) [2] |
| Kevin McCarthy | (favorable) [3] link |
| MusicMatters | (favorable) [4] link |
Reviewers have noted that Grammer does make each of these songs her own. [3] Writing for MusicMatters Review Michael Devlin sums the album up stating, "Each song has a lingering beauty that makes this a book of unique creations that all fly in a similar direction. Well-done in every way!" Kevin McCarthy outlines the album's themes as follows: "Longing for difference yet also connectedness, for independence but not separateness, wishing at times to be someone or somewhere else, with harmony just maybe over the next rise." [3] A couple of writers while giving favorable reviews of this EP seem to express an even greater anticipation for a full release from Grammer to follow up on 2005's Flower of Avalon . [1] [2]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blue Wing" (Tom Russell) | 4:55 |
| 2. | "Travis John" (Kate Power) | 4:02 |
| 3. | "The Waking Hour" (David Francey) | 3:58 |
| 4. | "Lord of the Buffalo" (Dave Carter) | 4:39 |
| 5. | "Gypsy Rose (aka Gypsy Down)" (Dave Carter) | 5:15 |
| 6. | "April, Come She Will" (Paul Simon) | 2:06 |
| 7. | "In the Shape of a Heart" (Jackson Browne) | 6:00 |
| Date | chart | peak |
|---|---|---|
| December 2007 | Folk Radio Airplay [5] | 3 |
Martin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and later artists such as Richard Thompson, since he emerged as a young musician in the early days of the folk revival.
Dave Carter was an American folk music singer-songwriter who described her style as "post-modern mythic American folk music".She was one half of the duo Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, who were heralded as the new "voice of modern folk music" in the months before Carter's unexpected death in July 2002. They were ranked as number one on the year-end list for "Top Artists" on the Folk Music Radio Airplay Chart for 2001 and 2002, and their popularity has endured in the years following Carter's death. Joan Baez, who went on tour with the duo in 2002, spoke of Carter's songs in the same terms that she once used to promote a young Bob Dylan:
"There is a special gift for writing songs that are available to other people, and Dave's songs are very available to me. It's a kind of genius, you know, and Dylan has the biggest case of it. But I hear it in Dave's songs, too.
Eliza Carthy, MBE is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing the fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson.
Horslips are an Irish Celtic rock band that compose, arrange and perform songs frequently inspired by traditional Irish airs, jigs and reels. The group are regarded as 'founding fathers of Celtic rock' for their fusion of traditional Irish music with rock music and went on to inspire many local and international acts. They formed in 1970 and 'retired' in 1980 for an extended period. The name originated from a spoonerism on The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse which became "The Four Poxmen of The Horslypse".
Ride On is an album by Irish folk singer Christy Moore, released in 1984. Its title track remains one of his most popular songs. A number of songs relate the actions of those involved in political struggles, or those affected by those struggles; such as "Viva la Quinte Brigada" which is concerned with the Irish contingent amongst the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War; or "El Salvador" dealing with the civil war in that country in the 1980s. Other songs deal with Irish history – "The City of Chicago", about emigration to America during the Irish famines of the late 1840s; "Back Home in Derry" written by Bobby Sands about the transportation to Australia of convicts; and "Lisdoonvarna" celebrating a music festival that took place annually in that town until the early 1980s.
Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer were an American folk duo who released three albums from 1998 to 2001, as well as additional material released after Dave Carter's death. The duo consisted of Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer,.
Tracy Grammer is an American folk singer known for her work as half of the folk duo Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer and for the solo career that she has continued since Carter's death. She released three albums with Dave Carter during her lifetime, at first doing instrumental work and providing backing vocals, and then, by their last album together, singing lead vocals on half of the tracks. Four albums by the duo have been released since Carter's death. She has also released four solo recordings, some of which have included previously unreleased songs by Carter, as well as two songbooks.
Jim Moray is an English folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.
Megan Slankard is an American musician and singer-songwriter.
Catherine Howe is an English singer-songwriter. She is an Ivor Novello Award winner who has earned critical acclaim in dozens of music magazines both in the UK and the US, including Folk Album of the Year from The Sunday Times.
Snake Handlin' Man is a 1995 album by American folk singer Dave Carter. This was his solo debut prior to his very successful partnership with fiddler, Tracy Grammer. The duo re-recorded "The River Where She Sleeps" for their 1998 album When I Go, and "Cowboy Singer" for their 2000 release, Tanglewood Tree. Prior to Carter's death in 2002 the duo re-recorded the remaining nine songs and two new songs. The resulting final album, Seven is the Number was released in 2006.
Tanglewood Tree is a 2000 album by American folk duo Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer.
Drum Hat Buddha is a 2001 album by American folk duo Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer.
The Verdant Mile is a 2004 extended play album by American folk singer Tracy Grammer.
Flower of Avalon is a 2005 album by American folk singer Tracy Grammer. This was her first full solo album following the death of Dave Carter in 2002. The recording offered Grammer's take on nine previously unrecorded songs written by Carter and one traditional tune. The album was very well received in reviews and was the most played album in 2005 on the Folk Radio Airplay Chart.
Seven Is the Number is a 2006 album by American folk duo Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. It was the duo's final recording, released over four years after Carter's unexpected death due to a heart attack in July 2002.
Marci Anne Geller is an American singer-songwriter from Long Island, New York, United States. She is an internationally acclaimed touring artist with numerous soundtrack placements on VH1, MTV, A&E, ABC Family, Discovery, FoodTV, etc. She is a member of SESAC and was also named one of the "Top 10 Best Singer/Songwriters" by Independent Songwriter Magazine. She co-owns the independent music production company/label Sonic Underground with Gian DiMauro. The label was birthed from Sonic Underground the recording studio which opened its doors in 1990.
Albert Sidney "Sid" Griffin is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist-mandolinist, bandleader, and author who lives in London, England. He led the Long Ryders band in the 1980s, founded the Coal Porters group in the 1990s, has recorded several solo albums and is the author of volumes on Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons and bluegrass music.
Bright Phoebus, fully titled Bright Phoebus: Songs by Lal & Mike Waterson, is a folk rock album by Lal and Mike Waterson. It was recorded in May 1972 with musical assistance from various well-known members of the British folk rock scene. The album failed to make an impact on its original release, but it was subsequently championed by many musicians, including Billy Bragg, Arcade Fire, Richard Hawley and Jarvis Cocker. For years the album was difficult to obtain but in 2017, a re-release of Bright Phoebus was announced.
The Rails is a folk rock band from London, England, composed of husband and wife James Walbourne and Kami Thompson. Thompson and Walbourne first met during the recording sessions for Versatile Heart by Thompson's mother Linda Thompson in 2007. The band signed to Island Records in January 2014 and released their debut album on 5 May 2014 on the label's Pink Label imprint, the first band to do so since the 1970s.
