SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BARBARA LYNCH – WHERE DID YOU GO

BARBARA LYNCH
WHERE DID YOU GO
INDEPENDENT

I am pretty sure that Barbara Lynch heard that question a lot over the last few years, because where did you go is the first album from this incredibly talented artist since 2008 (In The Nickelodeon). For where did you go, Lynch teamed up with Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies), which is the perfect match. Much like Rick Rubin did for Johnny Cash, Timmins lets Lynch do what she does best. She plays her guitar and tells stories. This is pure music, folk or otherwise. where did you go is about as good as it gets from the front sleeve featuring a picture of her grandmother with Santa.

where did you go is not about Lynch and her missing years (between the albums) but rather, asking the question to people who go away either physically or otherwise. Lynch wrote all the songs and she is a wonderful storyteller. For Lynch, people don’t have to physically leave to be gone. But she goes further, like Cash, John Prine, Paul McCartney, she faces mortality head on with her own set of questions and observations. At times where did you go is hard to listen to due to the hardships of life. And Lynch does not always provide the happy ending one is hoping for.

The album opens with the tale of “Georgia Brown”, a complicated character but one you can’t help but feel sorry for her. The same for “Rita Doyle”, a woman who is down on her luck after living on a farm (she ends up living in a car). But Rita doesn’t give up. And “The Good Guys Might Not Win”, a beautiful song featuring Lynch on piano. It is heartbreaking and moving, and with her voice, it is a remarkable song. The album ends with “Worry No More”, a song that wraps the album up in a stunning and majestic way.

where did you go is a remarkable album. And one could even ask, where did these stories go? Bob Dylan still writes about people, Bruce Cockburn, and a few others. Lynch puts her shows in the people when is writing and singing about. The sparse arrangements, featuring guitar, piano and some minor additions. But overall, this is a stripped back, emotional, heart tugging album. She gets a little help from Shelley Coopersmith (fiddle and viola), Clela Errington (harmonica and back up vocals) and Brian Stillar (backup vocals). Timmins uses the additional musicians sparingly and effectively. Timmins producing Lynch is really the best combination one could hope to hear. where did you go is, quite simply, a brilliant album.

SPILL FEATURE: WHERE DID YOU GO – A CONVERSATION WITH BARBARA LYNCH

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