Spotlight Album Review: Cry Cry Cry "Live @ the Freight"
When Dar Williams, Richard Shindell, and Lucy Kaplansky formed the ad hoc trio Cry Cry Cry in 1998, it was big news in the folk world. They released one album, toured the country, then, much to their fans’ chagrin, opted out in favor of their solo careers. Fast forward to 2017, and they performed with much acclaim at the Clearwater Festival, then followed up with a brief tour (which took them to Tarrytown Music Hall and Landmark on Main Street, among other venues). The tour finale, April 15, 2018 at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA, was captured for posterity, and the resulting album, Live @ the Freight, is a delight.
The objective of Cry Cry Cry’s eponymous debut was to shine a light on songs by their peers. The follow up, 20+ years later, is a more even balance between covers and Williams-Shindell-Kaplansky originals. Five songs from the first album return here: Buddy Mondlock’s ode to a dreamer, “The Kid”; Cliff Eberhardt’s account of a road warrior, “Memphis”; James Keelaghan’s saga of ill-fated smoke jumpers, “Cold Missouri Waters”; Julie Miller’s melancholy “By Way of Sorrow”; and ex-seminarian Shindell’s parable, “The Ballad of Mary Magdalen.”
Miller makes a second appearance with “I Know Why the River Runs,” another bittersweet song perfectly suited to Lucy. A couple of lesser-known songs turn up: “Never Cry Again” by the Oklahoma phenom John Fullbright (again perfect for Lucy) and “Go,” written by Dar’s Hudson Valley neighbor Michelle Gedney of the duo Open Book. But Cry Cry Cry doesn’t worry about the taint of commercialism. Richard Shindell renders the ‘80s hit, “The Ghost in You,” by the Psychedelic Furs, while Dar takes the lead on the gorgeous “Cathedrals,” memorably recorded by Joan Osborne. In every case the lead is buoyed by the impeccable harmonies of the other two.
Besides “Mary Magdalen,” Richard is represented with two songs: a tale of astronauts and economics, “Satellites,” and the acerbic breakup song, “Are You Happy Now.” Lucy, on the other hand, celebrates falling in love on “Ten Year Night” (now more than 20 years old!) and the memory of extended family in “Reunions.” Dar chooses her song of resilience, “Something to Get Through,” and, as an encore, the perennial festival favorite, “Iowa.” Before acknowledging the obligatory display of lighters, she waxes philosophical about polarization: “the opposite of division isn’t unity but collaboration,” urging the audience to be “bridge builders.”
As a final encore, Cry Cry Cry tackles all the verses of Robert Burns’ “Auld Lang Syne,” a tribute to lasting friendship:
And there’s a hand my trusty friend!
And give us a hand o thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
It was a blessing that brought these friends together in 1998 and brought them back together 20 years later. It’s a pity that Live @ the Freight hasn’t gotten more attention, not just for the group’s musicality, but for their compassion. In a note that speaks to their values they write:
“There are so many people suffering now. One doesn't know where to begin to address the need. It's overwhelming. So it felt like a blessing to find out about the good work of Live Music Society. https://www.livemusicsociety.org Suddenly, there it was again: community. Their focus is precisely the cultural niche we (as individuals and as a group) have worked in and lived in for so long. We know the folks at LMS. We've played at many of the venues they support. We know the people who work in these places. They have been devastated. The Freight is an oasis. But it's not the only one. LMS is on the case.
“We hope you enjoy this recording. Please contribute as generously as you're able. All proceeds will go to LMS.”
photo by Steven Silberstein