Although the album that spawned these three songs, Rising Tide, has been with us a while now, reappraisals, relistens, and reminders are useful exercises, especially in a world where so much new music is constantly arriving, pushing even the most recent music to the back of the public consciousness. So, with new things stirring in Taivi’s world, it seemed appropriate to cast our ears back to her debut album, remind ourselves as to why it shouldn’t be allowed to fade from memory, and give it another spin, not that anyone needs an excuse to delve into such a great album.
“Keep Moving On” lays out her blend of accessible roots music meets pop accessibility; it is folk music with both the requisite momentum that such a title suggests and a spacious quality. Space is an effective tool framing and separating the various elements, and through it, cool guitar lines are woven, dynamics ebb and flow, and all manner of classic singers are evoked – Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, and Taivi’s personal heroine, Buffy Sainte-Marie.
And if we are going to make comparisons, there is more than a touch of Janis Ian about the mood of “I’m Here,” the song of the friend or lover waiting in the wings, the rock we all need and perhaps don’t always appreciate in our lives. Violins sweep and swoon, guitar notes cascade deftly, but it is the sentiment of the lyrics that is everything.
For me, the best of this sonic trip is saved until last; certainly the most intricate, as “Roses and Thunder” runs on a funky lilt, is effortlessly boogie-inducing, a country groover soaked in folk finesse…a soundtrack for the wayward traveler and the sort of thing that the likes of James Taylor would have killed for back in the day.
A great snapshot of songs from a great album. Any artist could consider themselves much accomplished, having delivered songs of such caliber, but I suspect the best is yet to come.
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