James Low The Blackguard’s Waltz
(self-released)
When singer-songwriter James Low quit cigarettes several years back, the upper register of his voice cleared up and started issuing amazingly angelic tones. Shortly thereafter, though, Low practically swore off singing itself—abandoning his longtime LaurelThirst happy hour, gigging only sparsely and issuing no recordings for some six years.
On his return, the new EP The Blackguard’s Waltz, Low’s sweet tenor sounds better than ever. Despite the salubrious effect of such long-term vocal rest, the disc—recorded with local sideman-producer whizzes Mike Coykendall and Chet Lyster—is a concise reminder of how much Portland’s missed Low’s music these past few years. That clear and gently quavering voice is the very sound of empathy, the singer’s empathy for his characters easily transubstantiating into the listener’s empathy for the artist. Such emotional directness, in his singing and in the plainspoken yet poetic lyrics and winsome melodies he gives himself to sing, has always been Low’s seemingly effortless stock in trade. It’s good to have him plying that trade once again. JEFF ROSENBERG
Dear Nora Three States: Rarities ’97-’07
(Magic Marker Records)
In 1999, Dear Nora’s Katy Davidson spent 24 hours in Portland writing and recording the eight-song Dreaming Out Loud 7-inch. Each perfect, tiny track features Davidson’s acoustic guitar, tuning fork-clean vocal self-harmonies and casual lyrics (“I know I’m away/ But you’ll always stay in my heart”). You’d be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying and complete 14 minutes of music.
Lucky for vinylphobes, Dreaming Out Loud is collected on Three States, Magic Marker’s two-disc Dear Nora B-sides and rarities set. It turns out that Davidson—now based in Los Angeles—did a lot of her best work away from official, full-length albums. From fleshed-out band songs with elaborate guitar-rock bridges (“Sarah, You’re Not for Me”) to minimal verse-chorus vignettes that sound like demo versions of crushing Big Star songs you’ve never heard (“One Night in the Moment,” “The Northern Side”), there’s an awful lot of gold in here.
Great versions of Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country,” the Zombies’ “This Will Be Our Year” and Missy Elliott’s “Hot Boyz” help complete the 57-song package, but a single listen to Davidson’s two-minute, Springsteenesque “Fargo” (“Cheap liquor and cigarettes/ Neon signs and off-track bets/ Granddad in the supermarket aisle/ And all the kids in old Cadillacs cruise the mile”) should convince you of her oft-overlooked genius. CASEY JARMAN
SEE IT: James Low plays LaurelThirst on Friday, Feb. 6. 6 pm. Free. 21+. Dear Nora plays Someday Lounge on Saturday, Feb. 7. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
