CD Review:  "4 Evergreen"  by Evergreen

by Jeff Trippe

Evergreen’s fourth project is a well-focused snapshot of a fine Maine-based acoustic band in the prime of its musical life.  A knack for interesting and unusual instrumental arrangements and appealing vocals give the band a unique sound on the Northern bluegrass circuit.

             

Apparently, since the group’s founding by Steve Chiasson in 1991, Evergreen has grown in the way that any roots group – left untainted by ego and willing to adapt to change – ought to grow:  they produce that unified voice characteristic of musicians who know and like one another, and who trust in one another’s strengths.  I’d be willing to guess that the fun they have in their living rooms and on their porches comes through in their recordings and stage performances, and all in all, it gives an ease to their music, which is hard to resist.

             

But that ease – the ease of accomplished players – sometimes disguises songs which are more dramatic, more evocative than, say, their cover of Mark Knopfler’s catchy “Daddy’s Gone to Knoxville.”  I especially like the stormy skies, which loom in Chris Prickitt’s “Five Geese.”  Here is a guy who knows when to let his banjo paint the scene, with clean, hurrying runs just like those birds breaking free over the horizon, yet it is all evidently grounded in a lifetime of listening to a broad range of musical genre.  In fact, the best cuts on this record are the original tunes; Prickitt also offers the thoughtful “Still We Go to War,” and Steve Chiasson’s “Gravy Train” and “Try Love” are at the heart of 4Evergreen.

             

Instrumentally, without question, mouth harp and banjo are signatory here.  Joe Kennedy reminds us of the harmonica’s versatility as both a lead and backing instrument, as he covers much of the ground usually staked by mandolin and fiddle, but the clarity of his playing, integrated with Prickitt’s intelligent lines, gives the band a bright sound which is both crisp and warm.  In their hands, the old-time fiddler’s standby “Cherokee Shuffle” is given a new zest, and Paul Simon’s “Gone at Last” (think back to his gospel-influenced work with the Dixie Hummingbirds) becomes an acoustic pile driver.  Nel Kennedy’s solid bass work and Chiasson’s muscular guitar rhythms hold it all together and lend cohesiveness to a widely varying song selection.  Guest musicians include Ed Howe, perhaps Maine’s most highly regarded fiddler.

             

Every listener has his own secret desires.  As for me, I’d love to hear an album of all original songs by Evergreen, but of course, that is easy to say but hard to do.  Secondly, although I understand the democratic appeal in letting each band member take a turn as lead singer, I would say that Chiasson’s voice is best suited to this repertoire.  With him at the mic on every tune, harmonies by Joe and Nel Kennedy and by Prickitt could still firmly underpin his folksy approach.

             

Still, as it stands, 4Evergreen is a strong effort by four friends who are clearly mellowing together as they continue to nurture their love for this music.  They have been smart enough to let time take them in the right direction.  The least we might do is to take the time to listen.

Evergreen will appear at the Last Friday Coffeehouse in Winter Harbor, Maine, on June 27th.  For their full calendar, consult www.evergreenmaine.com.