Finding Our Lambs
by Rae Raines, reviewer for The Current
In the minimal packaging of popular music and folk entertainment, condensing artists into each tightly wrapped box of genre and feel-good knowing of, "Yes, we know their sound"; but as with any growing or developing musical art, some artists push themselves out of the comfort zone of 'recognized for', be it deliberate, accidental, or skillful craftsmanship.
Then there are some who will not settle for something so trivial. Danelle Phillips is one of those people.
The musical workings of Danelle Phillips was showcased at The Colony pub (27th & Harvard, Tulsa) on the brisk evening of Tuesday, January 29th. Typically the up-and-front terrade of a vocal thunderstorm for the popular Tulsa area rock band Congress of a Crow, Ms. Phillips tapped past her roaring lion identity to reveal, as they say, the lamb.
The Colony hosts Tuesday night acoustic venues for local singers and aspiring musicians, as well as some better known names, such as young John Lennon-esque Jesse Aycock, whose acoustic/electric blend of blues and imagery, with ballads like 'Sunset in the West' placed the stage for the night. For the course of the evening, Danelle Phillips seemed like the familiar sense of a young woman, careless and carefree to the surroundings, enjoying a drink with friends.
I inquired to her what song stood out in her mind for the night, or if there were any favorites up for selection. With an airy smile, she replied, "I can't just pick one song to call 'favorite'; emotions change with every moment, you know?"
How very right she was. When her time came to take center stage, her non-chalant demeanor swayed with her pixie blond hair as she took her seat.
Guitar in hand, she opened up with "After Hours", a song of familiar rough-and-tumble grit that echoes her rock side, then transitioning through her playing into the more acoustic tone. The folkloric undertones of Ms. Phillips works, such as "I Wish" rolled with the continual softening of the sound; what began with a boom, turned tender. Her accoustic score, pairing lyrics with a soulful sweetness, had the attention of everyone in the pub. It takes a work of soul to quiet even the noisiest of places. The ballads of "taken-for-granted" lust and unrequited tease-and-pull brought about an empathy, ringing to the bones the heart of regret, a vengence, a renewal. A contrite sense came from "Vampire", the somber, swaying tune that encased the summery of Danelle's solo artist sound: dark and light, temptress and maiden, lion and lamb.
On closing, the applause more than enough filled the walls of The Colony, and, with a wink and hint of girlish flirtation, Ms. Danelle Phillips put away her tools of melodic trade and came back to us as Danelle Phillips.
She has done her time in the aesthetic of the roaring lion; to see her organic connection to the community of the mind in the approach of a lamb proved musically and artistically successful.
Characteristics of rock versus folk share common grounds of lyrics, but what is put behind draws the line. Transitioning the balance of rock to folk and bluesy folk to driving rock is a balance to be reckoned with; Ms. Phillips casts the walls aside with the greatest of ease.
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I Wish
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