Music in the Trees: Christa Couture

I fell in love about two chords in to the song “I don't play piano”. Now, I'm not sure if that's because I do play the piano, and might be slightly biased so I'll be up front on that account.

Couture comes from a musical background, and her blend of folk and what I might call rock scream with personality and charm. Her mother sang in a folk trio in the sixites called “The Cellar Dwellers” and her father performed Native-American ceremonial music his whole life. Her first release was in 2002 after which she moved to England and returned to Canada a year later overflowing with inspiration and began recording again. For more about her albums and music and life, visit http://www.christacouture.com/news.html?pageid=VISCAM

Back to the music – clearly the thing of which I am obsessed. There is something both charmingly innocent and sultry about her voice. Personally, I find the vocal lines both crisp and clear (in terms of tangibility and the ability to discern the lyrics) as well as smooth and lyric. For example, I have never in my life heard someone sing “You're just fucking my ghost.” in quite such a sweet way. Which in the grand scheme of the lyrics of that particular song “The Net” is incredibly brilliant and will make most listeners do a double take upon hearing it the first time.

I also am enormously appreciative of the harmonies between keyboard and string instruments which are not your regular run of the mill I - IV - V progressions, but much more melodic and linear. Something else which impresses me about Coultre is the dynamic range of her recordings which unlike mainstream music – actually HAVE a dynamic range.

What can I say, it was love at first listen, and I'm so looking forward to the live performance at the Brandon Folk, Music and Art Festival in July. If you're in town, or passing through, or hell, it's even worth making the trip just for the awesome amount of musicians. Check out this link for more info on the festival. www.brandonfolkfestival.ca


This work by Naomi Leadbeater is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.