4 stars out of 5
Word on the street was that Pat Byrne was releasing an album. Yet it wasn’t from his rocking band They Live!, nor was it selections from his fondly remembered WFMU comedy show Prove It All Night. Rather, Byrne had produced and was releasing a record by a dear friend of his, Marybeth D’Amico. I know Pat Byrne as a lighthearted fellow, but it was with a very heavy heart that he completed this project, for D’Amico had passed away from cancer at age 53 on September 27, 2015.
Maybe Byrne got some unconscious assistance from Bruce Springsteen, who seems to benevolently hover over this album. The liner notes indicate that early in 2015, D’Amico pointed out to friends that Springsteen had recorded demos, which became his classic 1982 album Nebraska, on a 4-track in his New Jersey home. And that now she’d be recording 4-track demos with Pat Byrne in her own Jersey City home. Indeed, the lone cover on Great & Solemn Wild is Nebraska‘s “Reason to Believe.” But while Springsteen made a choice to use his rough demos as the completed record, here it was a matter of necessity.
As the album begins with “Meditation,” D’Amico’s guitar picking recalls U.K. folk greats such as Davey Graham or Bert Jansch. Then she breaks through the humdrum hum of samey-sounding indie folk artists with a truly distinctive voice: so clear, plainspoken, and somehow, both innocent yet knowing. In this opening track, she lists colors, describing her meditation routine, as she tries to escape the harsh realities of the world.
“The Lawnmower Song” reveals a bluesier side of D’Amico, with a deceptive swagger. Considering her medical situation, it’s a heartbreaking listen: “Am I ever coming home, to where angels will enfold me with their wings?” she sings. Late in the song, the guitar briefly drops out as — in a higher register — D’Amico tells us “I feel so all alone,” and instantly we do as well.
“Messages” offers a sunnier but very honest outlook, about self-forgiveness, and enjoying simple, obtainable pleasures in the face of adversity. Likewise, “Inside Out” details putting on a brave face as we fight our exhausting and ultimately private battles. It’s easy to succumb to self-doubt and self-pity, but as she sings in a gentle take on the resilient Springsteen song, “Still at the end of every hard-earned day, people find some reason to believe.”
“Dream” beautifully tells of sailing away with a true love, safe from all storms. Even if it’s just a dream, it’s a good one. After this track is a snippet of “studio chatter” — D’Amico telling one of her daughters that she’s about to do a take. Kudos to Byrne for including this reminder that we’re listening to an intimate home recording, as if to involve us in the proceedings. Next up is “Didn’t Know How,” which sounds like the hit here, with its rousing chorus. The lyrics deal with that most familiar of situations: finally sharing our feelings with someone, difficult as it may be.
The bright-sounding “Reason Why” is alas, another potentially tough listen. The narrator has found happiness, but there’s so much more to say, so much more to do, before saying farewell. A very appropriate bit of studio dialogue is the perfect conclusion to the song.
Finally comes the title track, the lifelong search for answers, and for peace, but coming to terms with the uncertainty and wandering along the way. It’s about being both goal- and process-oriented. There’s a, dare I say it, angelic backing vocal accompanying D’Amico on her journey, until at the very end she is alone again, naturally. The closing lyrics are an emotional punch in the gut.
Like Nebraska, this is a spare and haunting album. But don’t look for too many similarities, because Marybeth D’Amico was a singular talent. With loving help from her friend and producer, Great & Solemn Wild proves it all night.
Jack Silbert, curator