Julie Doiron: Woke Myself Up
Album Review
Julie Doiron’s new release (her tenth album, according to her website), Woke Myself Up, is a quirky and introspective record. As she has often done over the course of her illustrious career, this album centers on her emotive voice and simple, but effective, guitar-playing.
Nevertheless, this is more than your typical singer/songwriter exercise. Doiron instills her songs with a charming, witty humor that softens the darker, sometimes melodramatic tones that tend to afflict solo folk artists.
The unique sound of her voice immediately strikes listeners. It has a classic spryness that calls to mind singers such as Norah Jones and Jolie Holland, and this record nonchalantly shows off her versatility.
The album’s opening track, "I Woke Myself Up," features Doiron basically singing a duet with herself over a chopping, slightly distorted guitar rhythm. The looping harmony part accentuates the song’s theme of how life often feels like one big personality disorder. It is a subtle, but poignant touch.
Doiron first garnered national and international attention as part of the underground darlings, Eric’s Trip. On Woke Myself Up, she reunites with several of the players from that band. As a result, tracks such as “Don’t Wannabe/Liked by You” display her rock roots, but never fully abandon the acoustic style that dominates this record.
On this song, for example, a heavy, pounding bass-line and electric-guitar riffs define the verses, only to surrender to Doiron and her acoustic six-string during the bridges.
Overall, Woke Myself Up marks a stellar start to the musical year of 2007. As new releases appear in the coming months, they will frequently be measured against this beautiful, thought-provoking album.
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