Claudia Schmidt

Feb. 28, 2010

Claudia Schmidt’s New Promising Sky
By Kristi Kates
Northern Michigan-based singer-songwriter and Prairie Home Companion favorite Claudia Schmidt opens her latest album, Promising Sky, with a big burst of singing stripped bare - an a capella version of the title track comprised of layered choral harmonies (by Rachael Davis, Seth Bernard, and May Erlewine) that are filled with bright promise, indeed.
“That song was a capella because it was inspired by the South African singing I had heard on a trip there in the previous year,” Schmidt explains.

SPARE PRODUCTION
Schmidt is deft at combining folk and jazz, which her fans already know; on her newest set, she also lightly layers in some world music elements and a little blues, adding more texture to songs that are, if anything, underproduced by Schmidt and co-producer/engineer Don Julin.
That’s not a negative, though - the lack of complex arrangements (most of the songs are limited in their instrumentals, some with only one or two instruments taking precedence throughout) allows Schmidt’s vocals and emotions to stand out, and the production itself harkens back to the old-school days of Judy Collins or the Mamas and the Papas, with their retro sonics and pseudo-analog compression. Schmidt’s voice is strong as always, and while solely and distinctively her own, also recollects the characteristics of a Mary McCaslin or Collins herself in both its crisp alto depth and effortless execution.

RECOVERING JOY
Elsewhere on Schmidt’s new set, “Wisconsin Country” pairs her singing with a simple flute (Nancy Stagnitta) and bass arrangement, all the better to present the wistful tones of the melody; ‘70s folk makes an appearance via the strummed guitar and campfire vocals of “Tree of Dreams”; and jazz takes a stronger step forward in Schmidt’s sound via the hopeful “If All Goes Well.”
Her accompanying “Funtet” of performers includes Julin on mandolin, Jack Dryden on bass, Ron Getz on guitar, and Randy Marsh on drums a harmonica, all recorded live “in a friend’s house, to get a nice warm and organic feel,” Schmidt says (Schmidt’s dog, Emma, even puts in a cameo performance at the end of “What’s Luck Been Up To.”) And the set closes with the old Frankie Laine/Carl Fischer chestnut “We’ll Be Together Again,” retooled in an uncomplicated fashion for Schmidt’s vocals and 12-string guitar.
“The last song is a favorite of mine, and seldom sung,” Schmidt explains, “and fits in with the thread of the whole album, which is to go from a lost place back to wholeness and joy - but that is only if you listen to the whole CD, which I encourage people to do.”

Claudia Schmidt’s CD release concert will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Friday, March 5 at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are available at Cuppa Joe in Bldg. 50 and at Oryana Coop; tix will also be available at the door, and anyone with a ticket stub can get a copy of Schmidt’s new CD, Promising Sky, for $10. Find out more about Schmidt and her extensive musical career at www.claudiaschmidt.com