#bosque brown

Bosque Brown - Baby (Fargo Records, 2009)

Bosque Brown - Baby

Label - Burnt Toast Vinyl

Released - March 3, 2009

Genre - Country

Notes

From denton, it doesn't take long to get to the city.  If you want to see the big city excitement (Dallas' dazzling lights or Ft. Worth's Opera), you can get there in about an hour on a good day.  When the traffic gets too heavy, the proximity of the plutocracy's gluttonous opulence to hundreds living in poverty starts to gnaw at you, it's a quick trip back.  

Sometimes, though, you've got to get out to the middle of nowhere.  That's not far either.  15 minutes driving can get you so far out into the wilderness that you can see the OG dazzlers sparkle like never before.  Out there, if you're pointed in the right direction, you might forget other people ever existed. 

Mara Lee Miller's voice, a real powerful stunner coming from such a little lady, can make you feel like you're in either place.  When she belts it out, you may feel a drop in your gut like when you look up and the buildings that block out the sun and make you feel like an ant.  When she pulls out a note, all society's threats melt away.

Speaking of threats, there's something about her voice that sounds dangerous.  I'm convinced that she's got a mischievous criminal side.  Behind that demure facade somewhere, there's a real barn burner.  I never did get that feeling from her in person, but I definitely got it from Baptist General Chris Flemmons every single time we've talked. 

Flemmons produced this record and did a real swell job to say the least.  BB shows more versatility and charm than on the debut.  It's a more enjoyable listen and, though it has some sober moments, she seems to have a more mature perspective and the sad parts seem less abysmal than before.  Pitchfork panned this release, citing Miller's narrow dynamic.  Pitch-wise, well, she's no Kate Bush, but when it comes to moods and volume, she's quite dynamic of this record.  Now, judging by the way all her live performances on YouTube from this era feel like she's playing a child's wake, it's probably safe to say this was Flemmons' doing.

Another thing you'll notice is the silence on this record.  The vocals are the big show here and the other instruments are like ornaments on newlyweds' Christmas trees: subtle & sparse.  If you know how much Jeremy Buller likes to tap buttons & twiddle knobs, you'll appreciate whatever Flemmons did to keep the ornamentation so simple.  One of my professors at UNT said that ideal film scores would be felt, but not heard; this is the magic of "Baby."

Enjoy this slideshow set to "Train Song."

Bosque Brown - Plays Mara Lee Miller

Label - Burnt Toast Vinyl

Released - May 3, 2005

Genre - Country / Western

Notes

"Plays Mara Lee Miller" is the premier album by Denton’s Bosque Brown.  The word "bosque" is pronounced like, "boskie," not Bossk and not “boz-que,” though it is derived from a spanich word (for woodland).  Mara Lee Miller borrowed the name from a river that runs through Stephenville, Tx. 

Speaking of names, Mara means “bitter” in Hebrew.  From the sound of these songs, Mara Lee Miller is anything but.  She seems pleased as punch to be singing these songs, some of which are solid bummers.  Lyrically, Mara is legit.  She sings about love and longing and other relatable things, but she certainly has a voice of her own.  Speaking of voices, the big thing about Bosque Brown is Mara’s vocals.  She stretches out notes like hammocks ‘tween trees.  She sounds like Billie Holiday but prettier and without the gravitas. 

The musical style is similar to Gillian Welch, Cat Power, or Damien Jurado’s post-Gathered in Song records.  In fact, legend has it that Ms. Miller’s husband handed Damien a demo in 2002 when the legendary sadsack was playing a show here.  He liked it so much he flew her up to record her album before she’d even played her first show.

And record it he did.  sounds great.