Karyn Oliver: “Cherchez La Femme” (2023) CD Review

Karyn Oliver is a singer and songwriter from Maryland, now based in Texas. She is part of the group No Fuss And Feathers, along with Catherine Miles, Jay Mafale and Carolann Solebello, and her new solo album, Cherchez La Femme, features two of those other members, along with some other incredibly talented musicians, including the great Anne McCue. Besides their talent, the other thing these musicians have in common is that they are all women. Karyn Oliver is on guitar and vocals (she also did the illustration in the disc’s liner notes), and is joined by Carolann Solebello on bass, Cheryl Prashker on drums and percussion, Katherine Etzel on percussion and backing vocals (she also produced the album), Allison Tartalia on keyboards and piano, Kate Maguire on guitar, Ann Klein on guitar, Anne McCue on guitar, Dirje Childs on cello, Alison Scola on clarinet, Lynn Ligammari on saxophone, Julie Drombosky on trombone, Minerva Johnson on trumpet, and Catherine Miles on backing vocals. The album contains all original material.

“Take care of yourself, because we need you,” Karyn Oliver sings as the album begins. That first song, “Lay Your Burden Down,” has a friendly, comforting vibe, in large part because of her vocal work. “I will carry you if you carry her/She will carry the next/We will carry each other until/There is no more need.” It seemed that there was a lot of progress being made, and then suddenly the Supreme Court (which no longer has any claims to legitimacy, what with the rapist Brett Kavanaugh and the thoroughly corrupt Clarence Thomas on the bench) put a halt to that, and not only took away women’s rights, but put women in significant physical danger as a result. So it seems the need that she sings of here will remain for a while. But through all of the struggle, it is important to look to one’s own personal needs. Here Karyn Oliver reminds folks, “Take a breath, take a nap/Read a book, sing a song/Take care of yourself, ‘cause we need you.” And at the end of this song, there is clearly the sense that no one is alone, with that great vocal work. “Lay Your Burden Down” is followed by “Jenny.” This one has kind of a sweet vibe and features some good work on guitar. It addresses the question of whether the people in our lives can change, and so also whether we ourselves can change. “Long nights staring out the kitchen door/Still don’t know what I was looking for.”

“In Galveston” begins with a good beat, and has an appropriately somber sound. This track features a moving and passionate vocal performance and some nice work on keys. Check out these lines: “They say the gas is frozen underground/Windmills sleeping in the sky/This was always a long time coming/But it never fails to take them by surprise/When the lights go out in Galveston/Darkness seeps into your skin.” That’s followed by “The Game,” a song about a song contest (which apparently was written for a song contest). Here she introduces us to several people who are entering the contest, playing the game. “Sarah’s sitting high on her fence/Though she hates the scene a prize might mean/A tiny little boost to her career.” And no matter how they might say the results don’t matter and that the game isn’t important, they all want to win. I like the little reaction she adds after the line “Todd tells us Judge Joe is harmless.”

“Fabulous Flying Machines” has an intriguing sound from the beginning, with that work on strings, creating a strong atmosphere. Here are the first lines Karyn Oliver delivers: “Mama says it’s a big scary world/I will bind you down here by my side/Daddy says they don’t think like us/I will build a brick wall and we’ll hide, so we hide.” She doesn’t specify who “they” are, but they are certainly “others,” they are different. Many people react to the other with fear, and that leads to anger. We’ve seen the results of that in this country again and again. This song, however, combats that thinking with the optimism, the curiosity, the eagerness of a child. The flying machines will take us over those walls. “Can take us to places we’ve never seen/Where people are different just like you and me/All these fabulous flying machines.” What’s particularly striking and brilliant about this song is that the phrase “fabulous flying machines” takes us back to an earlier time, and so the hope she sings of feels like something from the past, the idea that these new contraptions will help move humanity forward. But she is singing, obviously, from the present, especially with the reference to building a wall. Sadly, we have not really moved forward, but the hope is still present. It remains, and it is strong in this song. As the song swells beautifully in the second half, we get caught up in its movement, in its optimism, to the point where we think, yes, we can reach out to those from other places and to those in other places. And, honestly, why not? This is one of my personal favorite tracks.

Then the first line of “Skeleton” is one that many of us heard at some point while growing up: “No one likes a crybaby, kid.” We are taught, or at least we learn, to hide our emotions, to keep them hidden, unexplored. They are something to suppress, something to be embarrassed by if they become visible. “Look at me, I bounce when I fall/Look at me, I feel nothing at all,” she sings proudly. And so we’re all a little screwed up inside, because these coping mechanisms destroy, or at least hide, something of ourselves. Another line that really stands out for me is “Please crack me now so I can come undone.” This is another of the album’s powerful tracks. Then there is a joy to “Pelican,” heard particularly in the horn section. Plus, it’s about (at least partially) baseball, my favorite sport. Check out these lines: “You believed in the slap of ball on glove/Sharp crack of the bat sounds like love/Your boys round the bases, watch them go/Kick dust in the air, slide home.” And as the song progresses, it feels more and more like a party, like a celebration, though we suspect there is loss at its heart, at its center. That’s followed by “Truth” is a serious, somber number, featuring a passionate vocal performance. “In a corner bleaker, darker/They were seeking someone new to blame.”

“Dance With Me” is a beautiful song, featuring gentle, soothing work on guitar and a gorgeous vocal performance. “You hold my heart when I cry/You let out the lines when I fly/And you dance with me.” And I love that work on strings. Romance and love flourish here. This is another of my favorite tracks. It is followed by “All Clear.” Here she sings, “When we get through this I will have you all over/When we get through this I will make one fine meal/I’ll be the laughter, drift across the table/Open wide I will take you in.” Yes, it’s a hopeful, optimistic number, looking to the future, not thinking of succumbing, not admitting that’s a possibility. Will we get through this? I can’t help but think we will. The album concludes with “Cry Hallelujah,” another beautiful song, and another with hope in its heart, even though regret and sadness live there too. It’s a song that reaches out, even if it’s unsure it will touch another. Sometimes the reaching out itself is enough.

CD Track List

1. Lay Your Burden Down
2. Jenny
3. In Galveston
4. The Game
5. Fabulous Flying Machines
6. Skeleton
7. Pelican
8. Truth
9. Dance With Me
10. All Clear
11. Cry Hallelujah

Cherchez La Femme is scheduled to be released on October 20, 2023 on Buxom County Records.