The Brightness

I discovered Anais Mitchell on the Paste Magazine website where the first track on The Brightness "Your Fonder Heart" was available as a free download. Although I felt like I shouldn't like the quality of her voice - - much too nasal and little-girlish for my taste, I was mesmerized in spite of myself. So much so that I placed the album on my lala want list. And wonder of wonders, someone out there was willing to give it up to me. The daughter of an English prof, Mitchell's songs are very literary in both content and craftmanship. She loves lyric, the heart's cry in the present moment, as well as narrative, and she seems especially drawn by the Greek myths. And her songs often look up from the navel and out into the world of history and trouble. Hades & Persephone has to be my favorite track; not only is it a beautiful song, but their story is my all-time favorite myth, a myth I've also approached in my writing. But there are lovely songs aplenty on this album: I am still ridiculously fond of "Your fonder heart." If you're streaming track from Rhapsody after these two I'd recommend "Changer," then "Song of the Magi," then "Hobo's Lullaby."In searching out YouTube videos I also discovered that she has written a folk opera called Hadestown of which some of the songs on The Brightness including Hades & Persephone and Hobo's Lullaby are part. The upload seems to be stuck at 97.94% and this is the second try, so we'll have to make do with the videos. Dang it.