Cyndi Harvell "The Night Turned to Song" (Fortune Records, 2009)

Witty confessionals from veteran of Athens GA

Cyndi Harvell cut her musical teeth playing in Athens, Georgia; a city noted for its rich musical history, but on her fifth release “The Night Turned to Song” she is in no way weighted down by such roots, rather occasionally indebted to them.

In fact the record as a whole operates on its own terms, it’s breezy, urbane and sometimes a little precious. It mines a familiar female singer-songwriter vein but not in any way that is derivative or boring, even if some tracks do call to mind the glossier possibilities of that vein as typified by the likes of Michelle Branch. Mostly though there is a folksier Laurel Canyon vibe running through the record, and great use is made of slide guitar and harmonies, even if their effect is diluted somewhat by an ever present tasteful pop sheen. This mould is occasionally stretched, as on the countrified shuffle of “The Light” or the swampy lead guitar and jaunty vocal of “Strongest Man Alive”.

Lyrically, “The Night Turned to Song” is populated by smartly written confessionals, concerning themselves with dissatisfaction and ennui and at times recalling Aimee Mann in her more witty moments. There are stories of lives that have reached standstills and are in need of change, though some tracks (“Horoscope”, “Photographs”) also deal with an unwillingness to enact such change, their narrators stuck in familiar patterns that they aren’t prepared to break: “...I’m waiting for the reason and the moment to agree/Waiting for photographs to find me...”. This duality creates a unique and compelling tension in the songwriting and imbues it with more personal dimensions.

“The Night Turned to Song” is a pleasure to listen to, and its occasional concessions to a more radio friendly sound belie a very noteworthy talent.

Date review added:  Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Reviewer:  Alex Cleary
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  Artist's Official Site