Blue on Blue

by Sylvie Simmons

Overview

Sylvie Simmons didn't plan on spending six years between albums when the noted rock writer brought out her debut LP, Sylvie, in 2014. Fate, however, had other ideas. After her first day of recording for her sophomore effort, Simmons was in an accident that left her with nerve damage and lots of broken bones, which kept her from using her left hand. It took plenty of time and therapy before she was able to play well enough to finish the project, and 2020's Blue on Blue sounds and feels a bit different than her first album. While "1000 Years Before I Met You" (a duet with producer Howe Gelb) has a charming laid-back twang that recalls the country inclinations of Sylvie, the bulk of Blue on Blue faintly evokes the blues, less in the melodic structures than in the sweetly downcast mood of the songs, and even more clearly resembles sophisticated vintage pop in the manner of Harry Nilsson and Brian Wilson, though the arrangements are far more modest. Simmons' voice has a fragility at the edges that gives it an emotional strength and eloquence it might lack if she sounded more agile, and using a ukulele as her primary accompaniment would easily feel kitschy if its warmth and honest tone didn't suit her voice and her melodies so remarkably well. Written and recorded mostly after a period of pain and frustration, Blue on Blue is simple and open in its construction, but the mingled sorrow and hope that frames this music is powerful, and "Not in Love" and "Carey's Song" reminds us she learned more than a little from her friend (and biography subject) Leonard Cohen in their smart, straightforward understanding of the human heart. Blue on Blue sounds enough like Sylvie that it's clearly the work of the same gifted artist, and also has a personality that's different but similarly effective. Blue on Blue shuts down any arguments that Simmons is a dilettante when it comes to performing; she's an artist who has made a satisfying and expressive work of art not once, but twice. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	08/14/2020
Label:	Compass
UPC:	0766397476018
Rank:	115363

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sylvie Simmons   Primary Artist,Vocals,Ukulele
Howe Gelb   Guitar,Keyboards
Jim White   Bells,Ukulele
Brian Lopez   Guitar
Matt Wilkinson   Vocals (Background)
Gabriel Sullivan   Guitar
Thoger Lund   Bass (Acoustic),Bass (Electric)

Technical Credits

Howe Gelb   Producer
Chris Schultz   Engineer
Robert Hakalski   Design
Eric Moffat   Engineer
John Baldwin   Mastering
Gabriel Sullivan   Engineer
Oscar Fuentes   Engineer
Dave Carness   Engineer
Lilly Becker   Photo Booklet