We were fortunate
enough to hear the wonderful voice of Allison Russell singing live a few years
ago in Elsecar, a small South Yorkshire village immersed in an economic and
social crisis ever since the coal mining industry was closed down back in the
1980s. A village abandoned to its fate by the authorities in power and suffering
from many social problems, dysfunctional situations, and a high rate of
unemployment … but also a community of people who are fighting to get things
back on track. Some years ago they converted many of the old mine buildings
into sites for local shops, craft workshops, and tea rooms as well as using one
for concerts. It was there that we attended a small folk festival in 2013 and
by chance chose to see the (then relatively unknown to most of us) Birds of
Chicago. We were, as they say, gobsmacked! The magical combination of the voices
of the group’s leaders, Allison Russell and her partner (on and off stage) JT
Nero, led us through a treasure trove of country, soul and folk music. As soon
as the concert had finished, we dashed over to congratulate the singers, buy
the CD and, of course, ask for their autographs!
Ever since then we
have tried to keep a track on their work. Last year they announced that the
group would be left on standby so they could concentrate on a solo project that
Allison was working on, with the collaboration of JT Nero and a host of great
musicians.
The resulting album
Allison has created, Outside Child, is one of the best LPs we
have heard in a very long time. Part of the inspiration behind the songs lies
in the horrendous years of abuse Allison suffered as a child and teenager. But
somehow, she has managed to transform this pain and suffering into a magical
piece of art, a cry to resist and overcome. As we listened to the album, and
read a few interviews with her, a variety of mixed feelings took over –
impotence and helplessness, sadness and anger, but also surprise and hope in
seeing how Allison has the strength to not just survive and overcome events
which virtually destroyed her life, but to lay out a path of resistance in
life, an example to give power and hope to other people trying to survive
difficult situations.
Allison was born to a
single mother with mental health issues. She spent her first years in foster
care, I think, before returning to live with her mother at the age of 5 when
the mother found a new partner. The “person” filling this role which should
have provided love and stability was in fact an evil beast and he sexually abused
Allison for the next ten years. Eventually, at the age of 15, in an act of
bravery and self-determination hard to comprehend in one so young, Allison
managed to flee the household and her attacker. A few years later, at the age
of 20, she went back home to save her brother and report the ‘father/rapist’ (a
white supremist, as she explains) to the police, managing to get him sent to
prison for a few (too few) years.
The horrors of her childhood form the seed behind this work of art, but it is much, much more than a
simple biography of Allison’s life. The songs bring together clear and
forceful, no holds barred, lyrics with mystical and dream-like images, poetry
and hope. As Allison states in interviews, rather than simply explaining the
physical, psychological and sexual abuse she suffered, she aims to relate how
she survived. The strength, optimism and hope within her, and how this all
connects to the stories her grandmothers would tell her: her Scottish gran,
explaining legends and traditional tales, and the mother of her biological
father, from Grenada, with her stories of the generations of slaves dragged
over from Africa. The result is an album full of tears and pain, magic and
light, hope and resilience. At this moment in history, where we are talking more
and more about the rights of minority groups, of women, of the LGBTI community,
and serious problems such as racism and mental health, this is an album which
deserves to be listened to with calm and attention. I would also add that, like
certain novels, given the scope of the issues it deals with, perhaps as the
listener grows older and more experienced, they may find more and more layers
to these songs.
Musically, it is a breath-taking
blend of soul, country and folk presented with the voice of an angel and lyrics
which become pure poetry expressing raw feelings and emotions in a mixture of
French and English. And the original touch of Allison’s clarinet solos add a
pensive side to some of the songs.
The record has won
plentiful praise and awards as well as three nominations for the Grammys and a
mention in Barack Obama’s annual list of favourite albums! It looks like
Allison is about to reap the success this record deserves but I’m also pretty
sure that simply by creating this album and putting her thoughts into song, she
has already succeeded.
A record to listen to
from start to finish as it takes you up and down the rollercoaster of Allison’s
life, through her suffering and the inner strength which enabled her to carry
on. An album worth buying on vinyl or CD to read the lyrics and the
introductions she has prepared for each piece. Nothing is out of place, every
song is a gem. I won’t go over all of them here, though, as it’s best for you
to discover them for yourself but if anyone’s interested in a little sample,
here goes…
In 4th Day Prayer
Allison sings about the days she left the hell of her house and managed to spend
a few hours in the park, away from her adoptive father-rapist…
Old willow tree, it was my throne, till I went home,
Father used me like a wife, Mother turned the blindest eye,
Stole my body, spirit and pride,
He did, he did each night...
“These are the best years of your life”,
If I’d believed it, I’d have
died.
The myth of the
goddess Persephone symbolizes the story of how her life and mental
health were saved. When Allison was 15 years old, she managed to spend nights
away from home in the arms of her first lover, a girl from her high school
class (I believe). The song shifts from the violence of the jackal (as she
refers to the animal who mistreat her) to the tenderness of the first person to
show her love, to return some sense to her young life. Eventually, the same
year Allison managed to flee from home and the rapist forever, even if it meant
sleeping rough...
Blood on my shirt, two ripped buttons
Might've killed me that time, oh if I'd let him
He's slow when he's drunk, and he lost his grip on me
Tap tap tappin`on your window screen
Gotta let me in, Persephone
Got nowhere to go, but I had to get away from him
My petals are bruised but I'm still a flower
Come running to you in the violet hour
Put your skinny arms around me, let me taste your skin.