Veteran Heart

If one were to judge solely by appearances, Pamela Richardson might be dismissed as just another folk singer with an atypical but lovely alto voice.  But those first observations can be deceiving.  Though her songs are lyrical and steeped with emotion, Richardson foregoes the quixotic tradition of the folk singer and instead writes songs of the heart.  Love and loss in all their myriad shades make up her palette, and she paints her stories masterfully.

Richardson makes no apologies for love songs.  Hers are not the schoolgirl crushes and peons to the first time broken heart.  Her songs are the intimate confessions of a woman who has learned a thing or two the hard way and lived to tell.  When some folk singers aspire to such openness, it frequently comes across as self-indulgent or mannered.  Richardson pulls it off with the calm assurance of a veteran heart.

Richardson grew up in Indiana, in the shadow of the famous racetrack. Raised on the music of the British invasion and 60s television, Richardson became a pop culture junkie at an early age.  Her music hints at glimpses of the bored Midwestern girl, dreaming of escaping the room wallpapered with Beatles and Monkees photos.  You can almost hear her older brother's band practicing from the garage.

It was from this setting that Richardson began her musical journey, culminating in her new EP CD, Spaghetti Midwestern.  The songs bear her trademark stamp of full-blown emotion, and benefit well from the sympathetic performers.  Former Slaughterhouse Five bandmate Sarah Kelder trades off flute licks with fiddle player Adam Moe on "Wingtips".  "Through the Window" features Everlyesque harmonies, as well as fine guitar work by Chicago ace Ric Salazar.  "Leaves" and "Wandering Ivy" are enhanced by the sensitive piano work of Matt Walters. "Wandering Ivy" is a standout, finding the musicians at the top of their game.  The song is a haunting elegy to late Badfinger guitarist Pete Ham and features one of the most beautiful endings you will hear this year.  The CD closes with the lovely and simple "Tulips in the Stones"-a dark, hypnotic love song that showcases Richardson's unique style.

Sometimes it takes awhile for artists to come into their own.  Far too many performers fall by the wayside with their best work never realized. Listening to Spaghetti Midwestern, one senses the patience and dedication that Richardson has shown in getting to this point.  One also sees that songwriting skills, like fine wine, can ripen with the years.