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Reviews of Daddy’s Little Girl (Deko, 1997) continued... |
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Mary Ann used to do moody synth stuff, then she started writing on the guitar. Wow. This CD goes everywhere on the musical map, but it never loses the listener. She's got a folky's obsession with her own thoughts, but the presence of mind to never get maudlin about it. Really great. Rich Grula, The Orlando Reporter Alone onstage, [Farley's] confidence and personality emerge as the eye of the storm...The lyrics drip from her tongue like brewing coffee into the thirsty ears of the coffeehouse audience...As her rollercoaster performance of humor and waiting, sadness and hope draws to a close, she remains with the audience by leaving a bit of herself in the memories of each soul. Jon Horowitz, The Daily Targum (Rutgers University) The CD is called Daddy's Little Girl. That's a title that threatens too much sweetness, until you hear the title song. A deep breath, then she croaks the word 'Daddy' like someone possessed of more hurt and rage than a human body can naturally hold. Steve Espinola, AntiMatters Farley is no whiny proselytizer, and she takes on obfuscators and cons of all stripes--men or women, tops or bottoms, me or you. Ed Hewitt, Puncture Often armed with just an acoustic guitar, Farley conjures up images and emotions with the lyrical and musical dexterity of a magician...Her songs contain poignant, indirect commentary on society and many of its ills... Michael Murphy, Network Audio Bits Her voice is passionate and compelling, bringing real lessons of life alive in her lyrics. Lee Ann Kaskel, The Weekender, Scranton PA Young lovers, husbands and wives, daughters and fathers, are all explored, and Farley's little girl voice belies the intensity herein. The wonderful My Bare Hands is the perfect example, as Farley revels in the double-edged sword...Her arrangements can be eerie as well. The record's opener, Blindsided, is carried by her own light touch on the keyboard, and has the same feel as Springsteen's Streets of Philadelphia. ....Not many folk artists have this type of imagination. In short, she sounds enormously confident in herself and her material. She should be. Thomas Flannery, thecriticscorner.com The tiny Farley plays the hell out of her acoustic guitar, and much more importantly, of her voice. She wrecks it up on stage, with growls, sneers, snarls and, strangely enough, a wallop of restraint. Gustav Plympton II, Antimatters Review of show at Maxwell's, Hoboken NJ Farley adds a cabaret-flavored, theatrical flair to her edgy, distinctive folk-pop songs, suggesting a rhythmic cross between Edith Piaf and Tori Amos. Her sparkling debut album, Daddy's Little Girl, uses keyboards, violin, drums and even horns to spice up the rich material, raising the question of whether Farley would be able to convey the songs effectively with just an acoustic guitar. But Farley, who says she wrote the songs with just a guitar, had no trouble at all. She confidently belted out her throaty, girlish yet worldly soprano with some dancing, music hall-style licks from her guitar. Blindsided, the powerfully haunting song that kicks off the album with ominous, moody synthesizer chords, came across even more effectively in the live setting as a crisp, stark, dramatic, subtly angry folk ballad. Ben Horowitz, The Star-Ledger, Newark NJ The lead-off track, Blindsided, is an ideal song to cast you under the spell of this up-and-coming 'anti-folk' pop artist. Boasting splendid studio co-production from Alan Douches...the entire affair is propelled by Ms. Farley's soaring vocal abilities and prowess on guitar and synth keyboards. With its Joni Mitchell meets the Bangles feisty folk/pop mixture, sophisticated music lovers will connect with Farley's lyrical zing and gifted melodic flair, which this CD more than supplies... Robert Silverstein, Time and a Word |
