Anaïs Mitchell Issue #31

The Brightness (Righteous Babe)

By Kristina Francisco
Published: March 1st, 2007 | 12:00am

It’s fitting that The Alexandria Quartet, a series of late-’50s novels by Lawrence Durrell that chronicle the same events from four different perspectives, is the main influence of The Brightness. Anaïs Mitchell’s Righteous Babe debut is a record of narratives chronicling the stories of a bevy of characters: estranged lovers, a forgotten town and poet, and a pair of Greek gods among them. It is on these stories that the album counts on, and Mitchell’s storytelling is indeed compelling — particularly on “Of a Friday Night,” “Hobo’s Lullaby,” “Shenandoah,” “Song of the Magi” — with the 25-year-old convincingly and effortlessly weaving herself into the lives of her characters, making a record not about her but about them.

Yet, there’s something left wanting on this album despite its literary strength. Though I’ve never seen Mitchell live, there are times here when she seems unconfident in her voice and moments when it sounds a little thin. This isn’t helped by the lack of instrumentation on the album with many tracks heavily relying on a single instrument — guitar on “Sante Fe Dream,” piano on “Of a Friday Night” — ultimately leaving Mitchell’s voice front and center.

The most engaging songs on The Brightest are those that are most musically fleshed-out. “Hobo’s Lullaby,” telling the story of a traveler’s wearisome and sorrowful life of farewells, has viola, banjo, and guitar behind Mitchell; on “Hades & Persephone,” it’s drums, guitar, and lap steel. Not coincidentally, she sounds the most confident here.

Mitchell is a talented songwriter, penning songs about characters and lives that, though short, are vivid and emotive. Perhaps next time around, more instruments will help complete the story.