reviews — you are here

Somewhere along the way, the heart of folk music—the tales, the social commentary, the amalgam of regional and rural musical traditions that gave the music its roots—has been forgotten by the flood of artists now filling record store bins.

Luckily, Gina Forsyth hasn't forgotten. A longtime staple of the New Orleans folk scene, Forsyth does credit to the genre's roots on You Are Here, a collection of the kinds of songs she's been singing at folk festivals and local enclaves like the Neutral Ground for years. Much of the material on You Are Here concerns that comfortable stand-by romantic longing, but on song like "The Sweetest Sound" and "Hide Your Face," Forsyth's sparse arrangements and strong sense of melody easily evoke the subtle pleasures of the best folk recordings. On others, such as the title track, a rich chorus of background vocals echoes the lilting harmonies of Celtic folk.

At moments like these, Forsyth displays a rich understanding of the folk tradition and of the connections between such rural forms as country and Cajun, as evidenced by songs like "Texas Waltz" and "J'ai Fait Tout le Tour de Grand Bois," (and by her associations with Bruce Daigrepont and the Evening Star String Band.) You Are Here boasts some stellar musicians, including Mike West, Myshkin, Pat Flory and David Doucet. It isn't perfect, given Forsyth's well-worn lyrical sentiments and her limited vocal range, but it's crucial folk listening for those to whom Woody Guthrie has more significance than the Backstreet Boys. --Kevin Forest Moreau