From Atlanta, Gwen Knighton plays wire harp and sings, often in the trio Three Weird Sisters. Box Of Fairies is her first solo album, an original mix of Celtic, fantasy, and contemporary folk music. All the tracks are original songs save for a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Joan Of Arc." The name Box Of Fairies refers to Knighton's harp.
This is a solo album indeed. On most of the songs all you hear is Knighton and her harp; she is joined on a few tracks by Mike Whitaker on electric guitar or Bill Sutton on bass. Fortunately Knighton's harpwomanship is fine and skillful! Showcasing a pretty mid-range voice with a wholesome mid-American accent, the album is a bit reminiscent of the works of Portlandista Heather Alexander. In addition to somewhat similar accents, the artists share a certain ambience -- and both have red hair!
Knighton's more contemporary pieces are sometimes seem a little "different" from those of mainstream songwriters, but still follow the beaten path. "Ghosts," for example, presents some sharp visions of things which are not as they seem, but no fey folk pop up as they do elsewhere on the album. The most interesting compositions are in fact about fantasy, a topic which should delight many Green Man readers. "Stepchild" is a new piece about the selkie, a morphing seal-human, set in old ballad form. Knighton also sings two fractured fairy talespin-offs. "My Fairy Tale" turns out to be really frustrating. "Cinderella Sleeps" tells what happened to three girls (Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty) who still believe in Fairy Tales. This is perhaps the quirkiest song on Box Of Fairies:
"Cinderella in the city works behind a bar
Snow White washes dishes there the pay does not go far
Drunken dwarves and plastic princes
give away their false pretenses."
And finally "Last Run" is a song about events in a role-playing game called Shadowrun. Realist as I am, I first thought the story was taking place in Afghanistan or Iraq -- and maybe it was!
The tunes themselves are in a warp somewhere between traditional melodies and sort of generic folky tunes, while the arrangements have roots in Celtic traditional music. What places the album itself into the Celtic genre is the very obvious use of the Celtic harp, using techniques that one would play if one were playing traditional music. Knighton carries most of the melody in her vocals and there are no evident jigs or Carolan classics here and there to anchor the listener in historic reality. Her instrument really does exist as accompaniment for her unique, humor-laced lyrics, and fortunately the solidly Celtic style playing is a complex and pretty backdrop. Box Of Fairies is recommended for fantasy and harp enthusiasts...and people who like interesting and different lyrics!
