Allysen Callery
November 22, 2017
Latest Reviews & News:
“ALLYSEN CALLERY: The Song the Songbird Sings” review by African Paper
Ihr aktuelles Album “The Song the Songbird Sings”, das vor kurzem auf Vinyl neu herauskam, kommt auf sehr leisen Sohlen daher, und der Opener “It’s not the Ocean” hat mit fließendem Saitenspiel, entspannten Twangs und der leisen Melancholie des Gesangs etwas von einem Schlaflied. Doch nicht nur die Verse über das Ertrinken, auch eine leichte Brüchigkeit in der vielleicht etwas zu trostreichen Stimmung liefern einen kurzen Blick ins Bodenlose mit. Ohne zu stark vergleichen zu wollen, vermute ich, dass Hörer, die Ähnliches bei Marissa Nadler oder in etwas subtilerer Form bei Josephine Foster schätzen, auch an Callerys Songs Gefallen finden werden.
“Allysen Callery – The Song the Songbird Sings” review by Fatea Magazine
Allysen’s a songwriter and (self-taught) guitarist from Rhode Island who produces what she herself terms “quiet music for a loud world”, and what’s been dubbed by others “ghost folk”. Certainly the latter tag can seem particularly accurate, in that Allysen’s music often seems familiar from somewhere you can’t quite place, the ghost of a song you might know perhaps, and also in that she sings almost exclusively in a tender, hushed tone, if not exactly pianissimo. However, this doesn’t mean her music lacks expression, or that her writing lacks substance. Her music doesn’t need to shout or force an entry into your mind; it casts its oblique spell without overwhelming the sound picture.
“Allysen Callery – The Song the Songbird Sings” review by OndaRock
Books, plants, shadows, lights and cats: Allysen Callery, one of the most peculiar and fascinating voices of the current American folk scene, does not hesitate to betray the domestic setting, the daily essentiality, the deeply earthly nature of her inspiration. The warmth of small things, of those rituals that are repeated unchanging day after day, that environment of intimate familiarity that has made the strength of many, more or less great, in the history of traditional song, and that continues to offer its evils to those who want to find comfort and support: it is not necessary much more to the author of Rhode Island to outline her rich artistic vision, which to the limitation of the instrumental compartment reaffirms again with his fourth album “The Song The Songbird Sings” the extraordinary variety of harmony and writing which is endowed with.
“Allysen Callery: The Song the Songbird Sings – Review & Album Premiere” by Folk Radio UK
“Ghost Folk” artist Allysen Callery is back with a new release that reaffirms her reputation as a leading singer-songwriter. The Song the Songbird Sings is the Bristol, Rhode Island guitarist’s first full length album since Mumblin’ Sue, her outstanding 2013 release that caught the ear of American and European audiences. The new release highlights her trademark British folk revival sound of the 60’s and 70’s which this time includes layers of sonic colour from guitar wiz Bob Kendall.
Songbird is the sixth album from Callery, who is a veteran of the Newport Folk Festival where she sang last summer with Haunt the House. In 2014, she played SXSW where she was recognized by NPR’s Bob Boilen as one of 50 “intriguing unknown artists.” She’s an astute songwriter and a clever guitarist, creating gentle atmosphere while not overwhelming her listeners.