Large Bird Leaving is Cori Brewster’s fourth album, appearing almost 10 years after her critically acclaimed 1998 CD, Stones. In the meantime, Brewster, who became a mother along the way, has matured considerably as an artist. The 12 songs that make up Large Bird Leaving, notably “What Casanova Told Me” and “Broken Compass” have a tone reminiscent of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s gentle yet compelling storytelling. More country than folk, the string-heavy arrangements on Large Bird Leaving are pure roots. Born in Banff, Alberta, to one of the area’s long-established families, Brewster has always made the Rocky Mountains her home. This rich and dynamic landscape is as much a character in her songs as the people who populate her tunes. For example, on “Look for the Sun” she writes: “The magic of these mountains/Are nowhere to be found/When the clouds circle around them/The wind howls a ghostly sound.” Large Bird Leaving is an incredibly well produced album, with credit in that area being shared by Brewster and Murray Pulver. Pulver is an exceptionally talented producer whose previous projects include the Wyrd Sisters’ Sin and Other Salvation and Dominique Reynolds’ Coming Home. Like most country-folk-roots albums, Large Bird Leaving yields no obvious singles, but it does make for satisfying listening. Recommended.
Link: http://www.coribrewster.com/
