Music Review: Lady Spruce
Virtuosic string trio Lady Spruce’s debut album is an eclectic gem
Lady Spruce, 2021
Precision isn’t always what draws me to an act, and it’s not something I need to find an artist compelling. Precision on its own can feel too pretty, even mechanical. But a group that marries precision with other attributes can create magic.
The self-titled debut album of Lady Spruce, a recently formed Twin Cities string trio, delivers just that.
In a recent interview the three classically trained string players talked about being slightly burnt out on classical music and turning to folk and country fiddle tunes as a way to rekindle their creativity. That feeling of freshness and discovery comes through on this charming eight-song album, which includes an original song by each member, plus some unusual covers and medleys.
The trio plays four instruments between them — fiddle, cello, banjo and something called a “mandola”, which is a slightly larger version of a mandolin. The texture and richness of their arrangements is impressive, as are their creative ways of bringing percussive elements into a song. For instance, in “You Are Water,” they employ quirky but cleverly placed finger snaps.
The vocals provide yet more richness and variety than you might expect from a harmonious trio of women. The three members — Aubrey Weger, Isabel Dammann and Julia Floberg — have distinctive, instantly recognizable voices listeners can experience separately as they take turns on lead vocals, blending beautifully to create a fourth vocal sound.
The mix of songs ensures that the album never stagnates. It opens with strings mimicking train whistles, segueing into a chugging tempo that sounds like train wheels rattling over tracks. Next comes a gentle, graceful waltz medley, followed by a Simon & Garfunkel cover that becomes a traditional Irish jig. The eclectic mix permeates the brief record, including an Appalachian-inflected original, “Ode to Ola”, and ending with a cover of The Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen a Face.”
Lady Spruce performing at The Warming House, 2019. Photo by Carol Roth
Having been lucky enough to see Lady Spruce live twice before the pandemic, I was hoping their record would be as quirky and breezy as their shows, and I was not disappointed. I highly recommend buying the album (and some of their cute, creative merch while you’re at it), then snapping up tickets to one of their shows as soon as that becomes a thing again. They’re charming and engaging performers, and their joy in exploring all sorts of music together is palpable. I for one can’t wait to see them again!
Lady Spruce album, 2021
Carol Roth. Photo credit: Dan Lee.
Carol Roth is a full-time marketing copywriter and the main music journalist and social media publicist for Adventures in Americana. In addition to studying the guitar and songwriting, Carol’s additional creative side hustle is writing self-proclaimed “trashy” novels under the pseudonym @taberkeley!
