Strictly
Country Records
©2005
Song
list: Blue Lonesome Wind, The Only Wind That Blows, The Storm, Pulled in Two
Directions, Someday You Will, My Favorite Time of the Year, Trust Me, Keep Your
Heart Away From Me, Save Me From Myself, Untamed, Katy Hill, Running Out of
Time.
Liz
Meyer is an American songwriter based in the Netherlands and she is one of the
guiding lights in the European bluegrass scene, but her songs are often more
well known here than her own recordings. Of course, the songs are excellent and
“Blue Lonesome Wind” was the featured title cut on an album by Auldridge,
Bennett & Gaudreau, and another song, “Bad Seed” is featured on a recent
Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum album.
Liz
has one of those earthy, contralto voices that wraps
itself around a lyric like a fine red wine coats a goblet. Her voice has a
robust joie de vivre and the lyrics pull the heart and soul into a mind journey
transcending all the emotions. There are traces of smoldering passion,
experience tempered by knowledge, fulfillment, and a wistfulness for home and
happiness. Liz is joined by one-time roommate Emmylou Harris and a cast of
everyone who is “someone” in contemporary bluegrass: guitarist Mark Cosgrove,
banjo players Bela Fleck and Ron Block, dobroists Rob Ickes and Jerry Douglas,
fiddlers Glen Duncan and Stuart Duncan, Bryon House on bass and Sam Bush on
mandolin. The complete package of strong, robust vocals and highly polished
instrumentals make this an album to obtain and enjoy for its sheer
wonderfulness. “Blue Lonesome Wind” is a
powerful opening song and Liz longs for a “place where heartaches mend.” Sam
Bush’s mandolin and fiddle are perfect echoes of the sorrow in the vocals. The stormy seas of relationships are further
explored in “The Only Wind That Blows” and “The
Storm.” Jerry Douglas’ dobro and Ron Block’s banjo and joined by Mark Cosgrove’s
guitar to produce a perfect tempest-tossed background to the song. They pull out all the stops for a
bluegrass-special rendering of the classic instrumental Katy Hill.
“Pulled
in Two Directions” is a high-spirited song of hope; love is always a
possibility, but decisions must be made and often the heart and the mind can’t
agree. Choices are also evident in
“Trust Me” which has a the memorable lines “trust me
to give my heart where it’s not wanted; trust me to plant my seeds where
nothing grows.” “Untamed” also has deeper meaning in its lyrics: “the truth is
I’m running from the fire that’s scorching the dry wood of my heart.”
“My
Favorite Time of the Year” is a joyous celebration of home and hearth with
friends stopping by for “homemade beer” and supper on the porch. “Running Out
of Time” is a quest for golden moments shared while life places other demands
on our time. “Just pretend you really
love me and I’ll pretend you’re really mine” might be the ultimate
cut-to-the-quick of living life in the here and now. The poet may be able to put philosophy into
words, but the musician puts the power of words into a passionate delivery that
stirs the heart and harnesses the mind.
It's been said that life often imitates art, and Liz Meyer's life now is faced with many storms, choices and moments of reflection and gratitude. She developed cancer four years ago and her battle to defeat the disease is her own storm, and choices were made to give her the gift of remission and many years of summers on the porch with homemade beer.
Unfortunately, the cancer has returned and she is having problems with her insurance company's refusal to pay for her treatments. Liz is in the midst of a medical and financial crisis. To help her directly, fans are requested to purchase the CD from her directly on her web site: www.lizmeyer.com