| Iron And Wine & Ben Bridwell |
| Sing Into My Mouth |
Iron And Wine & Ben Bridwell — Sing Into My Mouth 
≡♠≡ Twelve cover songs performed by Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell (Band Of Horses) on limited edition red vinyl, which are available exclusively via ironandwine.com. Each purchase comes with an immediate download of “Bullet Proof Soul” and “No Way Out Of Here” sent directly to your inbox! $18.95 USD
© SAM BEAM. Author: Tristan Loper, Iron & Wine at a 2006 concert at Brooklyn's McCarren Park Pool
Birth name: Benjamin Bridwell
Born: April 25, 1978
Location: Irmo, South Carolina ~~ Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Birth name: Samuel Beam
Born: July 26, 1974, Chapin, South Carolina, United States
Album release: July 17, 2015
Record Label: Black Cricket / Brown Records / Caroline International
Duration: 44:47
Tracks:
01. This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) 3:33
02. Done This One Before 2:59
03. Any Day Woman 2:51
04. You Know More Than I Know 3:29
05. Bulletproof Soul 4:39
06. No Way Out Of Here 4:38
07. God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get) 3:23
08. The Straight And Narrow 5:16
09. Magnolia 3:52
10. Am I A Good Man? 3:48
11. Ab's Song 1:19
12. Coyote, My Little Brother 5:06
℗ 2015 Black Cricket Recording Co. / Brown Records
DETAILS:
Tracklisting:
01 This Must Be The Place (Talking Heads)
02 Done This One Before (Ronnie Lane)
03 Anyday Woman (Paul Seibel {Bonnie Raitt})
04 You Know Me More Than I Know (John Cale)
05 Bullet Proof Soul (Sade)
06 No Way Out Of Here (Unicorn)
07 God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get) (El Perro del Mar)
08 The Straight And Narrow (Spiritualized)
09 Magnolia (JJ Cale)
10 Am I A Good Man (Them Two)
11 Ab’s Song (Marshall Tucker Band)
12 Coyote, My Little Brother (Peter LaFarge {Pete Seeger})
REVIEW
By Hilary Saunders | July 14, 2015 | 12:25pm | Score: 8.0
≡♠≡ Back in 2005, an under–the–radar folksy act called Iron & Wine took an even smaller Seattle band called Band of Horses on tour across America. It all stemmed from the fact that Iron & Wine’s main man Sam Beam grew up with Band of Horses singer/songwriter Ben Bridwell’s older brother in Columbia, S.C. The two musicians have since fostered a long friendship, most recently culminating in the covers album Sing Into My Mouth.
≡♠≡ But in a year full of big cover songs and LPs, Sing Into My Mouth seems more akin to Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith rather than Ben Folds’ snarky covers of pop radio tunes or the A.V. Club’s magnificent Undercover series. The two friends pay loving homage to 12 artists who have affected both of their careers. ≡♠≡ It’s a passion project, for sure, but one that exudes the geeky music–lover joy of discovering a new song or band for the first time.
≡♠≡ Recorded last summer at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, N.C., Beam and Bridwell alternate singing lead on these 12 cover songs. The title of Sing Into My Mouth comes from a lyric from Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” the opening track of the LP.
© Ben Bridwell, Jewish Mother Va Beach, 8/7/2011
≡♠≡ The production, of course, is stellar on Sing Into My Mouth. Each singer’s vocals ring clearly. And most surprisingly, a pedal steel guitar wavers throughout the record, adding a twangy ache to Bonnie Raitt’s “Any Day Woman” and El Perro del Mar’s “God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get).” And Beam’s interpretation of Sade’s “Bullet Proof Soul” is as original and captivating as his version of The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights.” Other notable covers include Them Two’s “Am I a Good Man?” (which Band of Horses has performed live regularly ) and Pete Seeger’s “Coyote, My Little Brother.”
≡♠≡ As A–list indie–folk bands in the 21st century, both Iron & Wine and Band of Horses are most defined by their vocalists. But Beam and Bridwell only share lead vocal duties on a few songs like “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” and strong harmonies on songs like the Marshall Tucker Band’s “Ab’s Song.” So when each singer takes the vocal spotlight alone, it diminishes the effect of the overall collaborative effort. Regardless, the love and care for each of these songs is readily apparent for Beam and Bridwell. While Sing Into My Mouth won’t likely make essential discography lists for either artists, this collaboration is an absolutely enjoyable and exciting listen full of new discoveries for fans of either band. ≡♠≡ http://www.pastemagazine.com/
© Ben Bridwell, Author Npuo standard
REVIEW
By Chris White | Posted on 14 Jul 2015 | Score: ♠♠♠♠
≡♠≡ A collaboration between Iron And Wine and Band Of Horses, two of the most consistently excellent Americana acts of the past decade, hardly qualifies as an unlikely alliance, especially as Sam Beam and Horses front man Ben Bridwell are fellow South Carolinans who have known each other since the beginning of their careers. ≡♠≡ Indeed, it was Bridwell’s brother who passed a copy of Beam’s early demos to a magazine editor, who included them on one of his publication’s compilation CDs and thus launched the Iron And Wine story.
≡♠≡ What’s perhaps more surprising is that when the two men finally got round to recording together, rather than combining their shared song writing strengths they’ve opted instead to assemble a series of sometimes unlikely covers they claim have influenced their music, ranging from Pete Seeger to Talking Heads, Spiritualized and even Sade. Based on these ingredients, the end results could have been an acquired taste, but what we get is thankfully very palatable indeed.
≡♠≡ This is principally because though their choice of material is sometimes a surprise, the style of the recordings absolutely isn’t. Similar to Iron And Wine and Band Of Horses records, the prevailing sounds here are steel guitar, rolling piano and softly brushed drums, topped off with some deliciously harmonic vocals and the occasional brass and organ adornments. The overall mood is a little closer to Iron And Wine’s gentle, lo–fi early work than Bridwell’s band’s more epic country–rock, but Beam and Bridwell are clearly such kindred spirits the tracks flow effortlessly, without the slightest hint of clashing ideas.
≡♠≡ Sing Into My Mouth (it must be said, not the best title) opens strongly with the duo’s interpretation of Talking Heads’ This Must Be The Place, reinventing the original’s jerky funk–pop into a quintessentially Southern, lilting front porch strum. ≡♠≡ Another early highlight, but one that’s much more faithful to the song’s roots, is their take on John Cale’s You Know More Than I Know, although Bridwell’s soaring tenor enhances the beauty of a chorus rendered rather more earthbound by the ex–Velvet Underground leviathan’s tortured rasp.
≡♠≡ As the album unfolds, further gems are revealed. The subtle country influences of Spiritualised are explored and expanded in the bucolic The Straight And The Narrow, while the economical, barely a minute long loveliness of Ab’s Song, originally by Southern rock pioneers The Marshall Tucker Band, recalls an Iron And Wine of a long–lost Creek Drank The Cradle vintage. Closing track Coyote, My Little Brother is a fitting climax to the album’s ideology; somehow dragging Pete Seeger kicking and screaming into the psychedelic space rock of My Morning Jacket at their most mesmerising.
≡♠≡ There are a couple of missteps along the way — an attempt to transform the anodyne jazz–lite of Sade’s Bulletproof Soul into an atmospheric, slow–burning ballad falls a little flat and even the combined talents of Beam and Bridwell can’t pull off the feat of turning the soporific dirge of El Perro Del Mar’s God Knows into a decent tune. ≡♠≡ But these are minor faults indeed in what’s a hugely enjoyable, relaxing warm bath of a record that easily surpasses the recent work of both its two main protagonists. ≡♠≡ http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/iron-wine-ben-bridwell-sing-mouth
Also:
BY KILLIAN YOUNG ON JULY 14, 2015, 6:00AM | SCORE: C+
≡♠≡ http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/07/album-review-iron-and-wine-and-ben-bridwell-sing-into-my-mouth/
Website: http://www.ironandwine.com/
Website: http://www.bandofhorses.com/
© Big Day Out 2013 Sydney, Ben Bridwell
BEN BRIDWELL
Personal life:
≡♠≡ Bridwell married Elizabeth McCann on April 4, 2009. They have three daughters, Annabelle, who was born in 2008 Ivy, who was born in November 2010, and Birdie who was born in September 2014.
SAM BEAM
Personal life:
≡♠≡ Beam, his wife Kim, and their five daughters live in Durham, North Carolina. He was raised in the Bible belt as a Christian, but is now an agnostic: “That was a confusing time for me, but I don't miss being misled. I'm not an atheist. There's an undeniable unseen world that some people call God and think they know more about than other people. I try not to get hung up on the names.”
≡♠≡ In 2011, a portrait of Beam was painted by British artist Joe Simpson. The painting was exhibited around the UK, including in a solo exhibition at The Royal Albert Hall.
≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠≡≡♠
| Iron And Wine & Ben Bridwell |
| Sing Into My Mouth |
Birth name: Benjamin Bridwell
Born: April 25, 1978
Location: Irmo, South Carolina ~~ Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Birth name: Samuel Beam
Born: July 26, 1974, Chapin, South Carolina, United States
Album release: July 17, 2015
Record Label: Black Cricket / Brown Records / Caroline International
Duration: 44:47
Tracks:
01. This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) 3:33
02. Done This One Before 2:59
03. Any Day Woman 2:51
04. You Know More Than I Know 3:29
05. Bulletproof Soul 4:39
06. No Way Out Of Here 4:38
07. God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get) 3:23
08. The Straight And Narrow 5:16
09. Magnolia 3:52
10. Am I A Good Man? 3:48
11. Ab's Song 1:19
12. Coyote, My Little Brother 5:06
℗ 2015 Black Cricket Recording Co. / Brown Records
DETAILS:
Tracklisting:
01 This Must Be The Place (Talking Heads)
02 Done This One Before (Ronnie Lane)
03 Anyday Woman (Paul Seibel {Bonnie Raitt})
04 You Know Me More Than I Know (John Cale)
05 Bullet Proof Soul (Sade)
06 No Way Out Of Here (Unicorn)
07 God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get) (El Perro del Mar)
08 The Straight And Narrow (Spiritualized)
09 Magnolia (JJ Cale)
10 Am I A Good Man (Them Two)
11 Ab’s Song (Marshall Tucker Band)
12 Coyote, My Little Brother (Peter LaFarge {Pete Seeger})
By Hilary Saunders | July 14, 2015 | 12:25pm | Score: 8.0
≡♠≡ Back in 2005, an under–the–radar folksy act called Iron & Wine took an even smaller Seattle band called Band of Horses on tour across America. It all stemmed from the fact that Iron & Wine’s main man Sam Beam grew up with Band of Horses singer/songwriter Ben Bridwell’s older brother in Columbia, S.C. The two musicians have since fostered a long friendship, most recently culminating in the covers album Sing Into My Mouth.
≡♠≡ But in a year full of big cover songs and LPs, Sing Into My Mouth seems more akin to Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith rather than Ben Folds’ snarky covers of pop radio tunes or the A.V. Club’s magnificent Undercover series. The two friends pay loving homage to 12 artists who have affected both of their careers. ≡♠≡ It’s a passion project, for sure, but one that exudes the geeky music–lover joy of discovering a new song or band for the first time.
≡♠≡ Recorded last summer at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, N.C., Beam and Bridwell alternate singing lead on these 12 cover songs. The title of Sing Into My Mouth comes from a lyric from Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” the opening track of the LP.
≡♠≡ The production, of course, is stellar on Sing Into My Mouth. Each singer’s vocals ring clearly. And most surprisingly, a pedal steel guitar wavers throughout the record, adding a twangy ache to Bonnie Raitt’s “Any Day Woman” and El Perro del Mar’s “God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get).” And Beam’s interpretation of Sade’s “Bullet Proof Soul” is as original and captivating as his version of The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights.” Other notable covers include Them Two’s “Am I a Good Man?” (which Band of Horses has performed live regularly ) and Pete Seeger’s “Coyote, My Little Brother.”
≡♠≡ As A–list indie–folk bands in the 21st century, both Iron & Wine and Band of Horses are most defined by their vocalists. But Beam and Bridwell only share lead vocal duties on a few songs like “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” and strong harmonies on songs like the Marshall Tucker Band’s “Ab’s Song.” So when each singer takes the vocal spotlight alone, it diminishes the effect of the overall collaborative effort. Regardless, the love and care for each of these songs is readily apparent for Beam and Bridwell. While Sing Into My Mouth won’t likely make essential discography lists for either artists, this collaboration is an absolutely enjoyable and exciting listen full of new discoveries for fans of either band. ≡♠≡ http://www.pastemagazine.com/
REVIEW
By Chris White | Posted on 14 Jul 2015 | Score: ♠♠♠♠
≡♠≡ A collaboration between Iron And Wine and Band Of Horses, two of the most consistently excellent Americana acts of the past decade, hardly qualifies as an unlikely alliance, especially as Sam Beam and Horses front man Ben Bridwell are fellow South Carolinans who have known each other since the beginning of their careers. ≡♠≡ Indeed, it was Bridwell’s brother who passed a copy of Beam’s early demos to a magazine editor, who included them on one of his publication’s compilation CDs and thus launched the Iron And Wine story.
≡♠≡ What’s perhaps more surprising is that when the two men finally got round to recording together, rather than combining their shared song writing strengths they’ve opted instead to assemble a series of sometimes unlikely covers they claim have influenced their music, ranging from Pete Seeger to Talking Heads, Spiritualized and even Sade. Based on these ingredients, the end results could have been an acquired taste, but what we get is thankfully very palatable indeed.
≡♠≡ This is principally because though their choice of material is sometimes a surprise, the style of the recordings absolutely isn’t. Similar to Iron And Wine and Band Of Horses records, the prevailing sounds here are steel guitar, rolling piano and softly brushed drums, topped off with some deliciously harmonic vocals and the occasional brass and organ adornments. The overall mood is a little closer to Iron And Wine’s gentle, lo–fi early work than Bridwell’s band’s more epic country–rock, but Beam and Bridwell are clearly such kindred spirits the tracks flow effortlessly, without the slightest hint of clashing ideas.
≡♠≡ Sing Into My Mouth (it must be said, not the best title) opens strongly with the duo’s interpretation of Talking Heads’ This Must Be The Place, reinventing the original’s jerky funk–pop into a quintessentially Southern, lilting front porch strum. ≡♠≡ Another early highlight, but one that’s much more faithful to the song’s roots, is their take on John Cale’s You Know More Than I Know, although Bridwell’s soaring tenor enhances the beauty of a chorus rendered rather more earthbound by the ex–Velvet Underground leviathan’s tortured rasp.
≡♠≡ As the album unfolds, further gems are revealed. The subtle country influences of Spiritualised are explored and expanded in the bucolic The Straight And The Narrow, while the economical, barely a minute long loveliness of Ab’s Song, originally by Southern rock pioneers The Marshall Tucker Band, recalls an Iron And Wine of a long–lost Creek Drank The Cradle vintage. Closing track Coyote, My Little Brother is a fitting climax to the album’s ideology; somehow dragging Pete Seeger kicking and screaming into the psychedelic space rock of My Morning Jacket at their most mesmerising.
≡♠≡ There are a couple of missteps along the way — an attempt to transform the anodyne jazz–lite of Sade’s Bulletproof Soul into an atmospheric, slow–burning ballad falls a little flat and even the combined talents of Beam and Bridwell can’t pull off the feat of turning the soporific dirge of El Perro Del Mar’s God Knows into a decent tune. ≡♠≡ But these are minor faults indeed in what’s a hugely enjoyable, relaxing warm bath of a record that easily surpasses the recent work of both its two main protagonists. ≡♠≡ http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/iron-wine-ben-bridwell-sing-mouth
Also:
BY KILLIAN YOUNG ON JULY 14, 2015, 6:00AM | SCORE: C+
≡♠≡ http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/07/album-review-iron-and-wine-and-ben-bridwell-sing-into-my-mouth/
Website: http://www.ironandwine.com/
Website: http://www.bandofhorses.com/
BEN BRIDWELL
Personal life:
≡♠≡ Bridwell married Elizabeth McCann on April 4, 2009. They have three daughters, Annabelle, who was born in 2008 Ivy, who was born in November 2010, and Birdie who was born in September 2014.
SAM BEAM
Personal life:
≡♠≡ Beam, his wife Kim, and their five daughters live in Durham, North Carolina. He was raised in the Bible belt as a Christian, but is now an agnostic: “That was a confusing time for me, but I don't miss being misled. I'm not an atheist. There's an undeniable unseen world that some people call God and think they know more about than other people. I try not to get hung up on the names.”
≡♠≡ In 2011, a portrait of Beam was painted by British artist Joe Simpson. The painting was exhibited around the UK, including in a solo exhibition at The Royal Albert Hall.