Album Notes

Brooklyn-based performer MARY MULLIKEN - a fresh voice in the downtown New York scene - releases her debut solo CD i 8 the sandbox on Fred and Betty Records. A set of 10 evocative originals accompanied by producer/engineer/multi-instrumentalist MIKE COYKENDALL (The Old Joe Clarks, M.Ward, Beth Orton), bassist/clarinetist JILL MCCLELLAND-COYKENDALL (The Old Joe Clarks), and producer/multi-instrumentalist ROB BURGER (Rufus Wainwright, Jill Sobule, Norah Jones, John Zorn, Susana Baca), the CD is an enchanting pilgrimage through Mulliken's wide-ranging musical interests.

It jump-starts with the raw, Cuban-grooved "you ain't worth a dime," followed by a rootsy, harmonica-tinged song of plea, "don't be a stranger." The record continues to delight with the darkly comedic, synthesized dime-store theme song, "marina from the marina," and later, just when you've settled in to the musical twists and lyrical candidness, a sweet accordion-driven Mexican field song, "la vida brillante," is sung in Spanish. Grounding the disc are a couple of moody tunes of love and search for home, including the lovely penultimate duet with deep-voiced Mike Coykendall, "'til i saw you next to me," which, like the others, is appropriately arranged with a grainy quality reminiscent of a 1930s Hoagy Carmichael song and delivered with a tenderness nostalgic for a similar and simpler time.

The CD showcases Mulliken to be a musical and lyrical conceptualist with intriguing ideas, fleshed out beautifully by the collaborative minds and virtuoso playing of the Coykendalls, and Rob Burger. If the 10-song soliloquy displays Mulliken's remarkable versatility as a writer, the 39 minutes of music are not for the attention deficit-ed. Mary's distinctively warm, rich voice provides a through-line that ties the whole thing together - you'll want to keep one for yourself...and send one home to mom.