A show preview by Amanda Sawyer that appeared in the September 13-19, 2001 issue of Encore Magazine (Wilmington/Cape Fear, NC)

Eyes & Ears - Edith Frost

Struggling to find a way to describe Edith Frost is perfectly natural when you consider the circumstances.  A thirty-something native Texan who has stopped off for several years in Brooklyn and now calls Chicago her home, Frost recently released her third set of original folksy pop/country songs, Wonder Wonder, on the Chicago indie label Drag City.

WHERE?
  208 Princess (Third Floor)
WHEN?
  Monday, Sept. 17 9 p.m.
HOW MUCH?
  $5

Drag City goes to the honky tonk?  Think again.  It’s more like Liz Phair traveled through time and sat for a spell with the Carter Family.  Or the reception to an impossible wedding between Hazel Dickens and Will Oldham.

Had enough yet?  Comparisons to other artists don’t seem to be doing Edith Frost one bit of good, as none of them offer even a remotely accurate idea of what her songs sound like.

That which I know to be true about Edith Frost includes the following:

  • Her voice does sound a bit like the Helen of Troy of the indie world, Liz Phair.  It’s mostly in the phrasing, much like Eric Bachmann’s occasional approximation of Neil Diamond.  (Example: "Cars & Parties")  She’s also not obsessed with conjuring the undead spirit of Joni Mitchell, which is a good thing, as Joni Mitchell’s voice still belongs to Joni Mitchell.

  • Her songs are lilting and pretty, the arrangements spare, unprocessed and alarmingly honest.  To put it in a familial context, her songs have the same effect as hearing your sister, who is far more talented than she realizes, sing alone in her room when she thinks that no one is listening.  (Example: "Hear My Heart")

  • She has received incandescent reviews from the New York Times, Magnet, Wire, Paper and scores of hip magazines with one-word titles that use adjectives like "celestial", "organic", "haunted" and "ghostly".

It also seems that Edith Frost’s time is nigh, as the adult ears of America have been steadily growing more interested in artists who favor sincerity over sugar, tradition over technology and simplicity over saturation.  Artists who have pursued a similarly earnest path with their music are finally gaining national attention (Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Aimee Mann) and with a little touring and some grand-scale exposure, Edith Frost could nestle into that perfect spot between acknowledgment and fame.

Note: Don’t miss Bellafea, who will be opening up for Edith Frost.  Voice/guitar Heather McEntire and violinist Stephanie Wallace are as unforgettable as they are engaging.  I mean it.  Be there!  Show starts at 9 p.m.