Po' Girl
Home to You

(Nettwerk)

First Appeared in The Music Box, February 2007, Volume 14, #2

Written by John Metzger

Po’ Girl had no choice but to call its latest album Home to You. Every song on the set revolves around the notion of returning to a particular point of origin. On Skies of Grey, for example, a relationship is rekindled beneath a metaphorical, cleansing rainfall; To the Angry Evangelist calls for the re-entrenchment of religion as a spiritual rather than political force; and Drive All Night conveys the yearning for friends and family that inevitably follows a lengthy stay on the road.

Mirroring the range of emotions that lurk within Po’ Girl’s lyrics, the music on Home to You exudes an equally tangled array of moods and feelings. Within the hushed ambience of the title track, an air of melancholy loneliness blends with a focused yet weary sense of determination, and the mournful ache of Angels of Grace is framed by the dark, salvation-seeking mystique of its gospel-blues motif. On the other hand, a more jubilant pose is struck during Go On and Pass Me By as a lively, Dixieland-style arrangement converges with a lightly skipping banjo in order to color a jovial, old-time groove.

Although the entirety of Home to You is delivered in an impeccably graceful fashion, its highlight unquestionably is Til It’s Gone. The song’s quiet beauty delicately expresses the temporary peace and comfort that can be found within a lover’s embrace, and as it progresses, it increasingly bears hints of Bob Dylan’s work, though his trademark harmonica is replaced with the gentle caress of a clarinet. Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You, in particular, is never far from reach.

Since issuing its debut, Po’ Girl has cast a wonderfully wide net across the waters of the music business. From its catch, it has created its own distinctive sound, which incorporates elements of everything from jazz to folk, soul to gospel, and rock to blues. In that sense, Home to You is merely a refinement of the textural patterns that long have formed the foundation of its work. The biggest difference, then, stems from the fact that the ensemble's poetic ruminations have continued to evolve and mature. By concocting a narrative arc that binds Home to You’s components together, Po’ Girl has made the most sophisticated and resonant outing of its young career.

Home to You is available from Barnes & Noble.
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Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2007 The Music Box