Amanda Egerer - Folk Songs Of Many People

​Amanda Egerer

​Folk Songs Of Many People
self-released; 2016

4.4 out of 5 - TOP ALBUM

By Matt Jensen
​

Amanda Egerer has no right to make a folk album this great when she first became familiar with the genre back in 2013 when attending a concert. I kid but her debut Folk Songs Of Many People which features all traditional folk songs that Egerer has collected and arranged from public domain song books is more than impressive any way you look at it.

Folk Songs Of Many People is an album that is hard to explain why it’s as good as it is. It has that x-factor that just gives it an extra push. One thing I know for sure is that one major element are her vocals. She sounds so soulful throughout this album you just can’t deny the emotion. The vibrato in her voice sounds more aligned with traditional folk artists as far back as the ’40s than anything you would hear today

The songs on this album feel like that could be played on the porch of a old cabin in the woods. Everything about the music feels natural, organic and just as pure as the soil beneath our feet.

She opens with “What Is The Color Of The Soul Of A Man” which sounds like it could come straight from the Appalachian Mountains.and possibly did The strings are just as warm and comforting as her voice. On top of that the lyrics are powerful. I mean “What Is The Color OF The Soul Of a Man” is a great question - is it not?

I was hoping the first song wasn’t a fluke and it sure wasn’t. “Come, O Nightingale/The Sure Hope” sounds like a French waltz infused with some folk. It’s fantastic and might make you shed a tear. Beautiful. The album continues with greatness. “Turtle Dove” is the song you hope to hear while stepping into your local salon in the old west while “The Farmer's Cursed Wife” is a boot slapping good time.

“I'm Going To Georgia” may be a highlight amongst highlights. I’m not really sure as there are so many good songs on this album. Either way the strings are as comforting as apple pie on a window sill. 

​“When I Lay Down And Die-Do-Die” is a beautiful sparse song that is held together by her vocals. Her vocals are in full effect here. She closes with a tearjerker called “The Wars Of Germany. ”The strings cry as they support intensely emotional vocal delivery. If you have a soul you will feel something when you hear this song. I listened to this song on repeat.

Folk Songs Of Many People is an exceptional album from beginning to end. The emotional resonance of this album sticks with you. It feels familiar like a best friend, it feels like the sun against your face, it feels like you arrived at home. There is a reason that these folks songs are considered traditional and often timeless.

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