Erica Wheeler's 2008 album "Good Summer Rain"

Erica Wheeler will appear at the Kennebunk Coffeehouse, in Kennebunk Maine, on Saturday, June 13, 2009, at 8:00 PM - Clara Berry opens!

CD Review by Bob McKillop

Erica Wheeler has a personal relationship with her maker – in her case, Mother Nature.  Her 2008 CD release, “Good Summer Rain” includes songs about love that has run its course, loved ones who have passed on, fresh starts in new towns, and lost farms.  The natural world appears in all of them, almost as a living, breathing, sentient being.  Nature is a friend, a confidant, a source of renewal and fresh energy; sometimes a main character, at other times, supporting cast.

Most of the music is a full-bodied mix of strummed and flat-picked acoustic guitar, prominent keyboard fills and breaks, and introspective amplified guitar licks.  The tracks are well engineered, and prioritize Wheeler’s beautiful, supple lead vocals and her lyrics.

The opening track is “As the Crow Flies”; the title and hook is a metaphor for communication that happens easily and naturally, that doesn’t take detours and goes straight to the heart and soul.  This song finds the narrator on the tail end of a relationship in which that easy communication has never been a part.  She longs for that type of connection, and hasn’t lost faith that it will come.

The title track “Good Summer Rain”, has a classic country beat and mood, and a popular theme in country music.  Wheeler laments the sale of her farm; the farm has a personality, a soul, and it haunts her like a deceased friend who can’t give up the ghost, and feels betrayed.  Has she sold out, let herself and others down?  The development of the fields covers the rich soil with houses and asphalt that makes the precious rainfall irrelevant.

“That farm still haunts me, like it’s calling out my name

Don’t it seem like a waste of good summer rain?”

“The First Sunset” is a touching reverie, cataloguing the intimate, commonplace events and spaces that are experienced for the first time in a different way, because they are not shared now, after the death of a loved one.  A ghostly organ that comes and goes like a light fog backs a very simple, spare piano melody.  This is a beautiful song, that brings small experiences to the listener in a way that brings to life the ache and emptiness of loss.

“Here’s the first sunset I know you’ll never see,

The first time at the table, with just your empty seat.

There’s the first crocus, pushing through the snow,

First signs of spring, everywhere I go”

“To Deep Water” closes the album, and has the feel of a gospel tune.   A thoughtful piano melody rises in the chorus and lifts our heads to help us witness the beauty and meaning of deep, still, water in nature.  Inspirational organ chords help you feel the song in your soul as you hum along with the chorus.

“So bring me up to deep water

So high in your hills

Bring me up to deep water

And the quiet that fills.”

Wheeler has a strong talent for finding powerful themes in our personal interaction with the natural world, and making them accessible through her lyrics and music.  I found these tracks a pleasure to listen to, inspirational, thoughtful, and refreshing.  Better phrasing, and fewer, more carefully selected words might enhance the effectiveness of her lyrics.  Compare her writing style with that of Phil Rosenthal, who wrote the only cover tune on this record, “Muddy Waters” (a great addition to the CD).

The musicianship is masterful, and the arrangements well structured.  Steve Sadler played acoustic guitar and dobro, mandolin, and octave mandolin.  Brad Hatfield supplied the very important keyboard and string parts, Greg Holt played upright bass, and Jeff Berlin played drums and other percussion.

Crit Harmon played acoustic and electric guitar, and recorded and produced the album at Crit’s Cave in Medford, MA. He has produced successful folk albums for the likes of Martin Sexton, Mary Gauthier, and Lori McKenna; a pretty impressive resume, and he adds to his reputation with this CD.

Any folk music lover for whom nature is an integral part of their life will enjoy this record; I certainly did.  Wheeler has garnered much attention thanks to this disc, with an award from the National Association for Interpretive Media, an appearance on NPR’s “All Things Considered” radio show, and a Billboard Gavin Americana Chart position.  Good things will continue to come to this talented songwriter and performer.

One good thing to come is Erica Wheeler’s appearance at the Kennebunk Coffeehouse, on Saturday, June 13, at 8:00 PM.  Kennebunk host Shawn Henderson is very excited to have Wheeler back in town after several years, and sees her show as a great way to close out this year’s schedule.  Also appearing that evening is opener Clara Berry, a young, very talented local keyboard ace and singer-songwriter who did a great job opening for Cheryl Wheeler last month at One Longfellow Square in Portland.  Berry is a great addition to what promises to be a great night of music in Kennebunk.

“Good Summer Rain” will be available for sale at the Kennebunk Coffeehouse show, and is also available online at www.ericawheeler.com.  Another online source for the disc is on the website of The Trust for Public Land, at www.tpl.org/erica.   This non-profit organization works to conserve land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and other natural places, and they supported the production of this CD.