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February 16, 2006 | 8:39 pm 
Liz Durrett's appeal is a little hard to name. Tens of thousands of American women (and men) do the singer-songwriter thing, but her music is singularly dusty, gothic and covertly (as opposed to overtly) engaging. A little Cowboy Junkies and a little Cat Power, Durrett's latest set The Mezzanine holds few surprises for those who heard her stirring early 2005 release Husk, which I wrote about here a few months back. Mezzanine continues half-whispering her personal, solemn truths over top of quiet guitar and additional understated instrumentation. Album highlight "Cup On The Counter" is a relatively uptempo song for Durrett that carries under its figurative arm tape recordings of Durrett as a child speaking to her grandfather about the tooth fairy, as well as additional ambient tones and washed-out guitar drifting deep in its corners. "Little Ascendent" is more typical of the insomniac stillness of Durrett's musical world, and it features similar atmospheric touches bolstering a particularly exercised vocal from the Athens, GA-based singer. Durrett's compositions are spare, and are primarily comprised of her voice and guitar and additional elements added by her uncle, Vic Chesnutt. The Mezzanine was issued Jan. 24 on Warm. -- Jay Breitling
TOTP: Liz Durrett | The Mezzanine
Liz Durrett's appeal is a little hard to name. Tens of thousands of American women (and men) do the singer-songwriter thing, but her music is singularly dusty, gothic and covertly (as opposed to overtly) engaging. A little Cowboy Junkies and a little Cat Power, Durrett's latest set The Mezzanine holds few surprises for those who heard her stirring early 2005 release Husk, which I wrote about here a few months back. Mezzanine continues half-whispering her personal, solemn truths over top of quiet guitar and additional understated instrumentation. Album highlight "Cup On The Counter" is a relatively uptempo song for Durrett that carries under its figurative arm tape recordings of Durrett as a child speaking to her grandfather about the tooth fairy, as well as additional ambient tones and washed-out guitar drifting deep in its corners. "Little Ascendent" is more typical of the insomniac stillness of Durrett's musical world, and it features similar atmospheric touches bolstering a particularly exercised vocal from the Athens, GA-based singer. Durrett's compositions are spare, and are primarily comprised of her voice and guitar and additional elements added by her uncle, Vic Chesnutt. The Mezzanine was issued Jan. 24 on Warm. -- Jay Breitling