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Caren Armstrong
Independent Girl
1999, Wildplum
Caren Armstrong proves that the old saying that redheads have quite a temperament is true. In “Stay Away From Me” she shows her fiery emotions clearly: “I wish you were a snake so I could skin your ass and roast in on the fire.” Armstrong admits that for her, expressing anger is ultimately a good thing; that’s where one gets to learn most about one’s fears and wishes. Born in Texas, she soon moved to California with her parents, where she started teaching guitar lessons at the tender age of thirteen! Fantasy Records released Armstrong’s debut album in 1980, but that decade wasn’t exactly the best time to begin a career as a singer/songwriter. For years she fronted a locally well known cover band in the San Francisco area. By the time she decided to pursue a solo career, the nineties had already started. Since then she has recorded two independent albums and has worked as teacher and producer amongst other things. The styles that Armstrong draws from are numerous; country, jazz, folk and pop. One could easily be fooled by her honey-sweet voice, but the topics are far from being shallow or superficial. Armstrong tells nothing but passionate stories, all taken from her life and her experiences. The jazzy “Pound Of Flesh,” with its gorgeous acoustic bass solo, is an extremely funny song about people’s obsession with the perfect body, the touching “Slipping Away” deals with the slow death of a relationship, everyday life being the killer. Another terrific track is “Leaving Lincoln County,” where the singer reflects about arriving and departing, philosophizing about the journey called life. Definitely not just the very intricate guitar playing, which makes this record so enjoyable. A keeper.—Michael Gasser
