Sugar Baby

Ali Ferrier's songs could easily fall into the hands of people who would recognize their incredible charm, wisdom and grace but who then might try and flatten their glory with 'lush this' and 'smooth that' in some expensive recording facility that provides catering, plush couches and table tennis. Then we, the listening public, would have to wait ten years or so for the great, archived, dusted off, original version of the album to come out, containing these mighty and tender, harrowing and beautiful songs, superbly performed and captured. Charles Jenkins Full of dreamily melodic waltzes, heartsick ballads and haunted blues, Alison Ferrier's debut CD Sugar Baby is evocative of the timeless, romantic music of years gone by. Recorded mostly to four track tape under cover of night in Melbourne's northern suburbs, Sugar Baby is a bravely stripped back recording - one where the songs are front and centre. Ferrier writes country/folk/blues songs that have a way of seeping into your sub-conscience. There is the deeply felt voice of fear at the core of When The Dark Leaves You Blind and the playful enticements of Ever Hopeful You. The plaintive plea of fidelity in the pernicious lament Come Back My Darling, the depiction of emotional turmoil in Don't You Ever and the portrayal of an ill-fated rural character in So Far Lola. The ten songs on Sugar Baby map out the landscape of the human heart with raw honesty. To honour this material, the London born singer songwriter backs up her supple voice with her own electric and acoustic guitar playing, sparingly adorned with some restrained backing - some rich upright bass here, a dab of crying pedal steel there. Junkyard percussion, old-time fiddle and a beautiful harmonica solo all drift through this wonderfully charming recording.