Iris DeMent
This entry is a compilation of two previous blog entries which first appeared on my Singing Muses blog in 2006. I will soon be visiting the USA for an extended vacation, and Iris DeMent is one performer I would dearly love to see while I am in that country.
~ The human voice. Has there ever been an instrument more dynamic, versatile and beautiful?
Some people have wonderful voices. Whether singing, reading out loud, reciting poetry, or just engaging in ordinary conversation, some voices have a way of cutting through the everyday sounds of life, and grabbing your attention like nothing else.
I can't remember where or when I first heard the voice of the American singer songwriter, Iris DeMent, but when I did, I was immediately captivated by the high plaintive sound of her voice. You see, I have a 'thing' about singers with high plaintive voices. Antony Hegarty (Antony and The Johnsons), Salif Keita, Iris DeMent, and several others have a way of piercing my psyche with their voices and music that I can't rationally explain.
Iris DeMent is one such singer. Iris (the youngest of 14 children), grew up singing gospel songs, but discovered 'folk' music during her teens. She didn't start writing and performing her own songs until she was 25, and released her first recording (an album of gospel songs), at around the age of 31.
Her song writing covers a wide range of topics including sexual abuse (Letter to Mom), Vietnam (There's a Wall in Washington), contemporary US politics (Wasteland of The Free), her family (numerous songs), and much more. Always honest, thoughtful and filled with insight, her songs are built around great melodies delivered in her trademark 'high lonesome' voice. Her singing voice is incredibly emotional, and every time I hear her sing I find myself deeply moved by that emotion and the feelings she evokes.
Take another look at the photo above, and check out the other photographs on her website. She may appear somewhat plain and ordinary, but Iris is not selling youth or false images of beauty. Iris DeMent is the real deal. Her songs and her voice have the ability to move me in ways that most contemporary performers will never do. There are some full sound files on her website you can listen to, but personally, I recommend you just go out and buy (or order online) any -- or all -- of her four albums.
By the way, while you are visiting her website, take a look at the discography page. You may find you already have Iris DeMent in your record collection, since she has appeared as a guest on many albums by some of the best contemporary singer songwriters recording today, including Emmylou Harris, Tom Russell, Nanci Griffith, and John Prine.
By the way, there are several clips featuring Iris on YouTube.
Here she is performing Our Town with the wonderful Emmylou Harris. The sound quality is pretty ordinary, but hopefully, the uninitiated will get a sense of Iris DeMent's beautiful voice and fine songwriting style. Enjoy...
You can also see a slightly truncated promo clip (with much better sound quality), for the same song here...
One of the comments accompanying this clip on YouTube says:
"Iris' pure, true Appalachian voice and beautiful spirit are the utter spiritual antithesis of the corporate-enforced homogeneity that's drowning the cultural diversity of this country and the world. We love you, Iris!!!"
Another wrote:
"Fell in love with her voice when I first heard her on the Transatlantic Sessions. She is something else."
And finally:
"Iris dement is 'The' Lady for me. She is the most talented songwriter of our generation and much underated! What a voice! What a songwriter! What a lady! "
~ The human voice. Has there ever been an instrument more dynamic, versatile and beautiful?Some people have wonderful voices. Whether singing, reading out loud, reciting poetry, or just engaging in ordinary conversation, some voices have a way of cutting through the everyday sounds of life, and grabbing your attention like nothing else.
I can't remember where or when I first heard the voice of the American singer songwriter, Iris DeMent, but when I did, I was immediately captivated by the high plaintive sound of her voice. You see, I have a 'thing' about singers with high plaintive voices. Antony Hegarty (Antony and The Johnsons), Salif Keita, Iris DeMent, and several others have a way of piercing my psyche with their voices and music that I can't rationally explain.
Iris DeMent is one such singer. Iris (the youngest of 14 children), grew up singing gospel songs, but discovered 'folk' music during her teens. She didn't start writing and performing her own songs until she was 25, and released her first recording (an album of gospel songs), at around the age of 31.
Her song writing covers a wide range of topics including sexual abuse (Letter to Mom), Vietnam (There's a Wall in Washington), contemporary US politics (Wasteland of The Free), her family (numerous songs), and much more. Always honest, thoughtful and filled with insight, her songs are built around great melodies delivered in her trademark 'high lonesome' voice. Her singing voice is incredibly emotional, and every time I hear her sing I find myself deeply moved by that emotion and the feelings she evokes.
Take another look at the photo above, and check out the other photographs on her website. She may appear somewhat plain and ordinary, but Iris is not selling youth or false images of beauty. Iris DeMent is the real deal. Her songs and her voice have the ability to move me in ways that most contemporary performers will never do. There are some full sound files on her website you can listen to, but personally, I recommend you just go out and buy (or order online) any -- or all -- of her four albums.
By the way, while you are visiting her website, take a look at the discography page. You may find you already have Iris DeMent in your record collection, since she has appeared as a guest on many albums by some of the best contemporary singer songwriters recording today, including Emmylou Harris, Tom Russell, Nanci Griffith, and John Prine.
By the way, there are several clips featuring Iris on YouTube.
Here she is performing Our Town with the wonderful Emmylou Harris. The sound quality is pretty ordinary, but hopefully, the uninitiated will get a sense of Iris DeMent's beautiful voice and fine songwriting style. Enjoy...
You can also see a slightly truncated promo clip (with much better sound quality), for the same song here...
One of the comments accompanying this clip on YouTube says:
"Iris' pure, true Appalachian voice and beautiful spirit are the utter spiritual antithesis of the corporate-enforced homogeneity that's drowning the cultural diversity of this country and the world. We love you, Iris!!!"
Another wrote:
"Fell in love with her voice when I first heard her on the Transatlantic Sessions. She is something else."
And finally:
"Iris dement is 'The' Lady for me. She is the most talented songwriter of our generation and much underated! What a voice! What a songwriter! What a lady! "
posted by Jim Lesses at
11:18 PM
1 Comments:
I cried the first time i heard Iris Dement. And I cried when I saw her live in New Orleans. There's something about her voice that pulls at my heartstrings in a strange way. I hope you got to see her!!!
Greetings from Medellín, Colombia,
Juan Duque
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