Take Me Home

Mare Wakefield has concocted a mellow, likable country-folk sound on Take Me Home. The opener, "I'll Drive," lays down a backdrop of piano, acoustic guitar, and drums that works well with Wakefield's warm vocals. A sad country-flavored Dobro sets the mood for "Pack Up Your Stuff," an emotional downer with a little vocal help from Amelia White. Both songs have strong melodies and, especially in the latter case, unwind at their own pace. Given this pacing combined with low-key arrangements and a simple production (very little reverb, etc.), these songs are imbued with a back-porch quality. Another intriguing quality of Take Me Home is the addition of Nomad Övünç's piano in the midst of the fiddles and Dobros. It's never intrusive as in bad country-pop, but is woven into the texture of "Texas" and "Cold River," adding a nice, unexpected touch. Wakefield is helped along this path considerably by bassist Jim Thacker, drummer Justin Amaral, fiddler Brian Arrowood, Dobroist Kim Gardner, and several others. These players, whatever their individual histories may be, fall into a comfortable groove here, offering an attractive, spare soundscape for Wakefield's vocals. Things get a bit funkier on "Love vs. the U.S.A.," a rockin' bit of gospel complete with a backing choir. Non-pretentious with a mellow country-folk sound, Wakefield's Take Me Home offers a solid group of songs on its own terms. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi