Chasing Cloud Shadows

Album Review

Realistically, no one can expect every folk-oriented artist who comes along to be a total purist. Technology has a way of exposing musicians to a wide variety of things, and inevitably, many of them will be unable to avoid non-folk influences. But it is nice when folk-oriented artists are able to bring a historic perspective to the table, which is what Thomasina Levy (who only uses her first name professionally) does on Chasing Cloud Shadows. This 2003 release isn't the work of a hardcore folk purist; Thomasina (who plays the dulcimer) has rock and pop influences and favors a combination of electric and acoustic instruments — the very things that folk purists chastised Bob Dylan for back in the mid-'60s — and she doesn't operate from a militantly pre-Highway 61 Revisited perspective. (How many modern folkies do in the 21st century?) Thomasina does, however, acknowledge a variety of musical eras — and she does so with generally memorable results on this CD. The East Coast singer/songwriter is modern enough to appeal to admirers of the Indigo Girls or the October Project, but at the same time, she obviously realizes that folk music didn't begin with Ani DiFranco. In addition to providing six original tunes, Thomasina turns her attention to nonoriginal material that ranges from Joni Mitchell's "Circle Game" (one of her early compositions) to the traditional Irish song "Butterfly" and the wordless Shaker hymn "Father James' Song" (which goes back to 1783). While the expressive Thomasina brings an appealing sincerity to her work, some listeners may find her singing to be a bit shrill at times. Regardless, she gets her points across, making Chasing Cloud Shadows a respectable, if imperfect, addition to the 21st century folk scene.