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Mutiny of Shadows by Amy Fabry
Recorded at The Glue Factory in St. Paul, MN
REVIEWS:
"Amy Fabry's voice has the sensibility of Joni Mitchell, but with a dark and edgy side. Her vocal range and use of drama is a perfect match with the minimalist approach to the production. The album keeps itself crystal clear with the vocals right out in the front, backed up by Amy’s talent on the keys, giving the whole project a strong backbone.
A true artist with words, Amy tackles some heavy subject matters, including a convicted man facing death in "Execution Stay," an inside look at an illicit binge in "Love Roses," and the common pain of skewed body images reflected in the mirror in "The Girl That You Were." But this album is put together so skillfully with a sense of cool and calm that it’s not disturbing. The subject matter is broached from a mature point of view and a look at the underbelly of life that keeps me interested.
Amy’s songwriting is both specific and ambiguous, touching many places in the heart. The successful use of dynamics and effects, especially in "Love Roses" which starts out with a strained voice and a fragile quality, works for me. The imagery and soul in the music shines throughout the album in clever observations
' ... the drip of a faucet hits the drain, dropping a rhythm to make me insane.'
No doubt Amy could carry herself and take command of the stage, seated behind the piano keys. This album lets Amy Fabry shine. Well done."
--Rachel Sedacca, Indie-Music.com
http://cluster.indie-music.com/comment.php?mode=view_comments&type=band&band_id=7618&template=script_comment.tpl
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"I reviewed Amy Fabry’s debut album, [Cultivated Pearl] in 2001. I seem to remember her being pretty jazzy. This one follows suit, but she also branches out a bit into the contemporary adult pop category (ok I realize they’re not that different from each other anyway).
Nobody Like Jimmy is a good opener. It’s catchy and gives a good glimpse into what’s in store for the rest of the album.
Girl That You Were adds a little bit of electronic stuff too. I like the rhythm and melody of this one. It’s got a super catchy chorus.
Gentleman’s Agreement has a bit of a beach calypso feel. Must be the wocka guitar.
Love Roses and Gravity’s Architect are favorites of mine. The piano shines and so does her voice.
Some of these songs remind me of Basia. (Remember her? [New Day For You]?) But I think I actually like Fabry’s voice better. She has a perfect voice for this genre. It’s crystal clear
A nice, sophisticated-without-being-snooty, jazzy record for your collection."
--Amy Lotsberg, Producer of Collected Sounds
http://www.blog.collectedsounds.com/?p=5412
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"Amy’s sound is akin to Norah Jones – but less sultry. Her airy vocals and sweet, girl-next door persona really shines through during her second album, Mutiny of Shadows. Let me start with saying that this is a great up and coming singer who isn’t afraid to put it all out there for the audience. Amy likes to stay the course with her songs, starting in a certain key and staying in that register throughout the song. All around her jazzy bass lines and neat progressions abound, but she never satisfies my hope for superior lyrics matched with tried and true painful performance – there are times that I can’t bring myself to believe in the heartbreak she is selling. It is certainly jump up from her first album, and believe you me, she hits all the right notes – there aren’t any errors musically – it’s really one of the finer records I’ve heard; but as my teaching experience taught me, the higher you hold the bar, the better the students become. She understands how to use specific imagery in her songs, but sometimes she chooses imagery that is more akin to an inside joke and not totally universal – case in point – “Nobody Like Jimmy” the ‘Jimmy’ character probably could of been replace by ‘you’ – and it would give an all encompassing tale that others could relate to. Despite these (really) minor qualms, this is a really great sounding record overall – without a doubt, Amy is certainly an accomplished songstress who, all in all, has given us direct songs professed by a songbird we could all wake up in the morning to."
--Jason Petros, Chicago's Independent Music Review.com
http://chicagosindependentmusicreview.com/?s=fabry
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Credits:
Amy Fabry - Vocals, Piano, Keys; Kent Peterson - Bass, Drums, Percussion, Programming; James "Lupi" Lupino - Guitar; Tim Casey - Guitar; Rob Brown - Drums; Erik Koskinen - Guitar; John Schech - Harmonica; Tom Twiss - Trumpet; Scott Yoho - Guitar; Dean White - Drums; Conrad Miska - Flute; Kris Brauninger - Hammond; Doug James - Drums; Craig Gallas - Drums; Tony Guscetti - Drums; Roger Johnson - Backup Vocals; Paul Manske - Backup Vocals; Scott Moses Murray - Backup Vocals; Jennifer Schmeling - Backup Vocals; Gretchen Twiss - Backup Vocals; Jo Klein - Backup Vocals; Alex Klein - Claps
All songs written by Amy Fabry
Produced and arranged by Kent Peterson and Amy Fabry
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Kent Peterson
Producer/Engineer/Multi-Instrumentalist Kent Peterson has over 20 years of professional experience as a studio engineer and record producer. Among his laurels, is a Platinum record, earned in recognition for his achievements in the studio while working with Toad the Wet Sprocket. Peterson is also a performing musician in his own right, counting keyboards, guitar, bass and percussion among his artistic tools.
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