I couldn’t help feeling somewhat disappointed after leaving an evening of haunting and soulful melodies decidedly un-haunted. To call Carrie Tree’s performance soulless would be a little cruel for she definitely felt and engaged with her songs. It was unfortunate however that this did not always translate.
The support band Le Juki were fun and unusual, mixing an irritating toy recorder, a typewriter and wind-up toys with gorgeous violin phrases and vocals that ranged from the guttural to a bewildering meow (and even a beautiful harmony or two). Despite being a little kitsch for my tastes Le Juki warmed up the crowd with their lively, idiosyncratic sound.
Carrie Tree's set-up was mature and sophisticated in comparison and I had high expectations from the solemn double bass and cellist who along with Carrie looked en forme and ready to wow. Admittedly the arrangements were beautiful and textured. The cellist gave a standout performance with ornate, exoticised melodies which truly did haunt and move you. The songs themselves however seemed a little trite and outdated with lyrics that, instead of paying homage to greats like Joni Mitchell, poorly replicated a contrived ‘hippie’ ethos. Contemporary folk artists like Laura Marling are successful because they offer a new slant on universal themes. Carrie Tree’s effort seemed tired and lacking in sincerity.
The real marmite element of their performance however was Carrie’s voice which was squeezed and whispered through and inexorable smile that off-set the poignancy of her songs. The moments of beauty and soul here never lasted long enough and you simply just wanted her to open her mouth and belt out a note or word with conviction! At times this style worked and masked her technical deficiency. Her unnerving take on vibrato gave a depth and spirit to her lyrics which was undeniably effective but this all too often gave way to more weak whispering.
At its best, covering Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’ and with an original song ‘Sweet Oak’ Carrie Tree drew on lush arrangements and manipulated her voice to successfully tap into a folk tradition which really did possess the power to be both soulful and haunting. This was however more of an interval than an evening and left me feeling a little underwhelmed.
