Sylvia Hotel
Cheryl Wheeler
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Since her first independent EP appeared in 1983, Cheryl Wheeler has been keeping her fans content and more than confounding critics who might prefer to pigeonhole her. This gifted singer/songwriter can shift from deep irony to deeper emotion in the space of a single measure. On Sylvia Hotel, Wheeler's comic brio is particularly abundant. Witness her tongue-twisting, starchy paean to the potato (to the tune of the "Mexican Hat Dance"!)--this is most definitely roots music with a difference. Then there's "Meow," an ode to her master-slave relationship with a saucy, self-loving feline: "I see you in Memphis on the Nile in the spring, Swinging through some palace doing your Egyptian king thing," Wheeler growls. But there are also several beautifully serious songs--such as "His Hometown," a keen tribute to some stronger roots, and "Lighting Up the Mighty Mississippi"--that wreak emotional havoc on listeners' hearts. Leavened with essential humor, abiding images, and sublime harmonies (courtesy of Lucy Kaplansky), Sylvia Hotel should break Wheeler out once and for all. |
Musicians Accessories
| Software | Strings | Harmonicas | Metronomes | Tuners | Effects | Microphones | Cables | Drumsticks | Cymbals | |