“a special path has been shown
that very special seed has been sown
this path I walk is not well trod
it’s walked by the faith of the son of God”
Sleeve notes
In around 2005 or so, a new generation of psych-folk musicians and D.J.s began championing forgotten singer-songwriters from the late 60s and early 70s such as Linda Perhacs. These were artists whose gentle idealism had previously been largely ignored by the public and scoffed at by critics. The Chicago based label, Numero, identified that if you dug deep into bargain crates there was a wealth of similar, even more obscure, singer-songwriters from that era waiting to be discovered. These records often had echoes of the Laurel Canyon sound, especially the music of Joni Mitchell. Recognising her influence, Numero released a CD compilation, Wayfaring Strangers – 'Ladies from the Canyon', containing, according to the press release:
“The works of 13 unlikely heroines who sang beneath the infrastructure of the music business, playing to coffeehouse chatter and church picnic silence. Each of these Wayfaring Strangers walk in the handmade aesthetic of lyrics scribbled into faded denim, of delicate movements captured and released”
What sparked Numero's Ken Shipley's interest in private pressed records was one particular song that he heard on a mix tape sent by a friend:
“She just blew me away and I wanted to know if there were other records like this around”
That recording, and the first song on the compilation, was the 59 seconds of 'A Special Path,' by 19-year-old Becky Severson. A beautiful song with a beatific quality that creates a sense of immediate calm and inner peace. With just four lines of lyrics, inspired by Jeremiah 6.16, and gentle strumming of acoustic guitar - it was simplicity personified, a way to find rest for the soul. This was the title track of her sole album. It set the tone for a recording full of understated songs with sensitive, fragile acoustic accompaniments.
Possessing a gentle vibrato, Severson had a remarkable assured voice somewhere between Joan and Joni. She had the purity of Baez but could also swoop and soar like Mitchell. Above all, her voice was never showy, rather remained warm and comforting, perfect for her songs. It has a captivating presence that resonates throughout the entire record.
There is a gossamer lo-fi element to the album, an aspect that perhaps has made it appealing to later generations of independent music fans, including those entranced by re-issues such as Vashti Bunyan's 'Just Another Diamond Day'. Similar to Bunyan, whilst acoustic, only on occasions did the music enter pure folk territory. Generally styles drifted gently in and out, with pop, jazz, gospel and country elements merged in different patterns to create a dreamlike breezy sound.
Severson’s songwriting was always underpinned by her Christianity. 'Love is a Wonderful Word' has a beautiful melodic and airy feel that could easily be imagined as if a demo for a lost 60’s flower power pop anthem. Its lyrical sharpness, however, cuts a little through the sweetness:
“Love is a wonderful word - if you mean it”
The implication is clear, true love requires respect and dedication, not just generic preaching from the pulpit nor loose notions of free love. In a 2006 interview when asked if she was a flower child, she noted that whilst she liked the style and fashion that:
‘I didn’t fall into the “free love” mode, because I didn’t believe in passing out something that I valued dearly.’”
That, of course didn't mean she didn't have a sense of fun. Greg Erickson, a musician and music fan knew her better than most, having been at school with her in Minnesota. He recounted a memory of her in his blog, Echoes in the Wind, from 2007:
"Becky Severson was in my graduating class at St. Cloud Technical High School in 1971. She and I had been the trumpet section in our orchestra when we were sophomores, sharing chuckles through the year. Sometime during that year, we were playing with words, and I’d switched the syllables in her names. She blushed, but she evidently liked her new moniker; she signed my yearbook that year as Sexy Beaverson."
One of their mutual friends was Wendy Lodoen who had played guitar in Greg’s school band for a while. She contributed a couple of songs to the album and co-wrote another. Indeed, the whole record was very much a hand-crafted, friends and family affair, with Becky’s brother-in law helping to finance the recording and pressing costs. It is likely that they were involved in church or youth groups associated with the emerging Jesus movement. Indeed the only song on the album not written by Becky or her friends was Marsha Steven’s 'Come to the Water', credited on the album to the Jesus People. The language and optimism of the era was very much expressed in some of lyrics, notably 'Gospel Ship':
“Gonna take a trip on my Lord Jesus ship
I’m going far beyond the sky”
The songs, however, are never just cloud free, smiling positivity as typified by some of the hippyish Californian sound of that time. Instead, they are tempered by notions of regret, of seasonal change, loss of childhood innocence, death and an acknowledgement the circle of life. There is a sense of nostalgia, a yearning for treading the old ways. The sepia cover photograph shows both sides of Becky, with guitar, walking through the woods, the trees bare. It captures the outdoor charm of this album and the qualities of the Minnesotan landscape, closer to Canada than the Canyon, where winters are cold and June sunshine is mixed with rain.
This is a record full of delicate folk devotionals, such as the early Mitchell influenced 'Jesus Song' that feels right to be played at quiet times, whether Sunday mornings or in the late evening still. The soft harmonies between Becky and Jon Wilson on his 'Only Word' are an example of the human warmth that is ever present on the recording.
When Numero records found Becky in around 2006, she was surprised that anyone was interested in her record. Her father still had boxes of unsold albums in his attic. In a publicity interview in the L.A. Times for the release of Ladies from the Canyon, Severson said:
“Singing brought me so much fulfilment. I could do that in public or in my little bedroom, and it would not have made much of a difference.”
Of course, records like 'A Special Path' can make such a difference when we seek them out, and become enchanted with the tracks that are less well trod.
Notes
Special thanks to Greg Erickson, whose great blog Echoes in the Wind included a post about Becky.
https://echoesinthewindarchives.wordpress.com/tag/becky-severson/
The Numero record label continues to re-release a wonderfully eclectic mix of rarely heard music.
''A Special Path' LP has never been re-issued and is now a collector's item.
No comments:
Post a Comment