Music / americana
Review: Grant Lee Phillips, The Lantern
Photo: John Morgan
Americana enthusiasts out there are allowed to be pretty excited about tonight’s line up at The Lantern. Main act Grant-Lee Phillips is joined by Texas-born Jarrod Dickenson. Buckling down to wheedle a very quiet crowd, Jarrod cracks jokes in between beautiful renditions of songs from his new album as well as previous “hits”, as he calls them in jest. It’s difficult to judge what the audience actually thinks, although some discreet nods and soft laughs betray a sense of approval. Your Heart Belongs To Me is particularly delightful with Dickenson giving his wife Claire a chance to shine, which she nails with grace and virtuosity.
Grant-Lee Phillips is mostly known for his work with his former band Grant Lee Buffalo. They released four albums in the nineties which were critically acclaimed. However, difficult sales pushed the band to part ways. Phillips has since enjoyed a productive solo career (although sadly underrated) and his latest LP, Widdershins, was released in February 2018. It distances itself from previous album The Narrows by its straightforward rock vigour. It is interesting to see that Phillips’ stage setting only involves an acoustic guitar. When on tour, this multi-instrumentalist likes to strip it down to bare minimum but this is not at all daunting for him, quite the contrary. He sees it as a challenging yet interesting way to (re)work on some areas of the album.
is needed now More than ever
He starts his set with the album opener, Walking in Circles, a rousing number delving into Grant-Lee’s thoughts on the current and chaotic world. Gifted with great storytelling skills and a love for colourful imagery, he likes to include unconventional and strong characters to his songs. Lively Miss Betsy and Profound Unruly Mobs are both compelling examples of this. Philipps also wistfully performs older songs from his repertoire, such as the gooey Cry Cry and the touching Holy Iron. But also a fair number of Grant Lee Buffalo songs, which awaken the audience’s interest, such as Jupiter and Teardrop and the last number and highlight of tonight’s show, the hypnotising Fuzz, on which Phillip’s voice reaches perfectly controlled highs.
Although his lyrics are influenced by times of distress and unease, Grant-Lee Phillips doesn’t advocate despair. His astounding live performance, tinted with joy and wit, conveys glimpses of hope. The power in his music echoes his words with accuracy and the vacillation of his voice between softness and vehemence puts the final touch to a beautiful work and performance. Grant-Lee Phillips says it himself: music is a powerful tool with which we can face darkness and surmount it.
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
