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Miranda Lee Richards
Light of X
Review By Matt Conner
Sounding a bit like Over the Rhine, Rachel Yamagata and Kasey Chambers, Miranda Lee Richards’ debut enters gracefully into a room where all are welcome. And Light of X, her Nettwerk debut, proves swiftly through the first few tracks that Richards absolutely belongs. The production by longtime musical partner Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) provides Richards with a layered, atmospheric Americana sound that sweeps the listener away into a lonely yet comfortable peninsula. The piano-based rhythms never grow old, and Parker ensures that even longer songs like “Breathless” and “Mirror at the End” continue to dance long after the three- or four-minute mark.
Richards’ honey sweet voice perfectly matches the modern folk hybrid textures. The enchanting guitar tones and piano undercurrent still leaves plenty of space for her tender soprano on “Breathless.” The easy sway of “Hideaway” lingers in more familiar folkish territory, allowing an Emmy Lou feel to come from Richards. “Early November” almost evokes a Cranberries-lite feel, yet here again, Richards feels in the right place. And by album’s end, you realize you’ve stumbled on the first great debut of 2009.
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