SEPTEMBER 2008 ONLINE EDITORIALS

Driftwood Fire - Driftwood Fire

album cover

By Tim Maddocks

In Driftwood Fire’s self-titled EP the Fort Collins trio enlists a grip of musicians to bring a full sound to their homegrown folk songs. Their acoustic songs, carried by the strength of Lynne Scharfe’s sultry vocals, are tastefully filled with a variety of instruments, everything from piano to accordion to a cheese grater. But it’s the dynamic string arrangements that really accentuate the space.

Amid the emotive singing and the thoughtfulness behind the myriad instruments, the folk trio’s first studio album doesn’t go overboard when it easily could have.

The five-song EP, recorded at Coupe Studios in Boulder, is the first studio album from Driftwood Fire. And for a local group the sound quality is quite crisp. Scharfe and Charlotte Formichella split song-writing duties, and Jennifer ‘JJ’ Jones carries the rhythm on the kit. While their musicianship is more than capable, it’s the song-writing that comes to the forefront. Scharfe’s voice is stunning, gentle yet strong and carries over the complimentary acoustic guitars and solid rhythm.

The disc begins low-tempo and slowly builds to higher energy songs. There’s a consistent country twang, but it could easily be qualified as smooth rock. The lyrics are reflective and spotted with nature imagery and insightful emotion. As a whole the arrangements are precise.

As the album’s sound begins to settle into a pattern of tastefully sustained emotion and melody, the fifth and final song, “Holes in the Sky” suddenly pops. Frankly, the song is great. The melody swings into your ears, the chorus is catchy and it’s sad when it’s over, reminding you why there’s a rewind button on the player. Check it, you know?

www.myspace.com/driftwoodfiremusic