AMY CLARKE: "After the Fall": A Review

ABOUT AMY CLARKE:

It's no mystery why, at a recent fundraiser for the feminist group FCW Society, the group's leaders saved Amy as the last performer for the night. They wanted a finale to take the house down. And with her haunting rendition of "Not Your Landscape (AKA "Not Without My Consent")", FCW (which stands, incidentally, for "Fucking Cool Women"!) got what they wanted! Amy Clarke is a true enchantress, both on stage and off. As a performer, she could start a revolution whether her audience is four or 400. Athena Reich, Amy's friend and equally well-praised and provocative peer in the music biz, says about Ms. Clarke, "Amy's piano playing is ridiculously lush and gorgeous. I hate to perform right after her set, because she always completely astounds and seduces the audience... and I never have any idea what to do with them afterwards! She is powerful. Watch out world, here comes Amy Clarke!" Award-winning performer Terry Christopher adds, "Amy Clarke's musical creativity that is displayed in each song is as organic, earthy, and celestial as Mother Earth herself." (How do you top that? Wow!) A self-described dramatic singer, songwriter, & keyboardist, Amy Clarke crafts an eclectic blend of alt/folk/pop/blues/rock with soul and emotional depth. Blending her classical training with her modern electronic influences, she is a dynamic performing artist-- whether soulfully emoting at the grand piano or mixing effects on her synth keyboard. Amy Clarke's fledgling label MAAT Music is named for the Egyptian goddess of truth, justice, and balance, reflecting Amy's eclectic passions for ancient cultures, modern day spirituality, and social and political activism. A lifelong pianist, Amy trained to be a concert pianist for ten years, winning several vocal arts & music competitions before graduating on scholarship from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service with a Lifetime Membership in the Mask & Bauble Dramatic Society. She then performed at The Studio Theatre & other Professional stages in Washington, DC. Amy now calls New York City her home. Her art continues to be inspired by her spirituality and by her passion for world peace, feminism, and LGBT issues. As proof, her New York City performance resume includes such envied venues as The Cutting Room, The Bitter End, and CB's 313 Gallery alongside benefits for Theatres Against War International, Planned Parenthood, and Habitat for Humanity International. In 2006, Amy recorded, produced, and released her debut EP "After the Fall" (MAAT Music/ScorpFaery Publishing/ASCAP) to FM radio, TV, and satellite airplay (Sirius Satellite Radio), and notable acclaim. Amy celebrated the EP's release with a well-received solo performance at New York City hotspot The Bitter End-- as well as with radio and TV interviews, and shows in several major cities around the US. She played to packed houses in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and Denver. Ms. Clarke is currently recording & producing new music for an album at her studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She continues to tour and perform. Although a relative newcomer to Outmusic, Amy Clarke has become one of the most ardent supporters of Outmusic's monthly New York Open Mic and a supporter of her fellow artists in the indie music biz. Her Outmusic friend John Manion states, "Amy Clarke: Her music is passionate and insightful-- and she is 'easy on the eyes'! Most important, she is a great and caring friend. Her new song called 'Friday Night' is KILLER. She is truly evolving as an artist!" Indeed, her striking looks, talent, and energy have gained her a great deal of praise from the press. Amy's music has been called "simply beautiful" by GoGirlsMusic. Toni K. of Songsalive! opines, "'After the Fall' is beautiful, haunting yet phenomenal songs...wow! Knocked me out with the lyrics, the arrangement, the production and the delivery. Awesome music from the heart and soul. I listened several times, over and over, because it was so powerful." In addition to heading ScorpFaery Productions and nurturing her label, Amy Clarke is a member of ASCAP, NAPM and The Songwriter's Hall of Fame, The FCW Society, GoGirlsMusic, Reclaiming, Songsalive!, is an Equity Membership Candidate, and the co-founder of Open Soul Productions.

It's only after repeated plays of Amy Clarke's debut album, "After the Fall", that the listener realizes just how much this New York City-based artist packs into each of the EP's five songs. Every one of the tracks on Clarke's CD is a bona fide masterpiece, starting strong and ending triumphantly. Without ever sounding heavy-handed, she incorporates such issues as respect for women ("Not Your Landscape"), the effects of war ("After the Fall"), the dangers of apathy ("Fight or Flight"), and the importance of social equality into her unique music. These aren't new issues, obviously, yet Clarke's lyrics and self-confident delivery make her a new, energizing crusader for social change in 2007 and beyond. To backtrack a little, it's Ms. Clarke's lyrics and voice on "After the Fall" that grab the listener immediately. An interesting comparison to Clarke would be her fellow artist Natalie Merchant. With Merchant, the listener always senses an undercurrent of restlessness and need for "reaching beyond" in her voice and delivery. Amy Clarke's style can be much in the same vein; at times, her voice incorporates a grittiness which matches the often serious subject matter in her music. Yet, Ms. Clarke also has another side: a more delicate delivery which has no trouble hitting those high notes. There's an interesting synergy between these two vocal styles that she uses-- often in the same song. As far as influences, Clarke clearly pays tribute to the ladies of alternative music that rose to prominence in the '90's, yet her artistic boldness and musical fearlessness propel her beyond genre and gender labels. Intentionally or not, Clarke also avoids the overly breathy style and fretfulness (some would describe it as "whininess") that a few culture vultures criticized those women of alt rock for.


The stark, somber title track, "After the Fall", was inspired by September 11th-- but specifically, it's a plea against reactionary response which marked the US after the attacks (and sadly persists today): "Now don't you lay your law down on me; we have been here before. I have no apologies, I will not play at war; Don't you lay your god down on me... We all have to find our own way, we only can find our own way; As long as we harm no one on the way, as long as we love we'll be OK..." Using only her voice and piano, the track is provocative and grand. The true mark of a seasoned pro, she doesn't need a band to back her up. Opening with a haunting piano piece, "Not Your Landscape" is a mid-tempo, stark anthem which should be subtitled "Not Without My Consent". The song's message aims right at the heart of one of the most basic tenets of freedom: that women should be treated as equals in sexual matters. Again, it's a decades-belated revelation, but it couldn't be more timely given our nation's fickle history of social and sexual equality. A very different mood is established with "Wolf". The dynamic track captures the moody and mysterious aura of the titular animal in its opening, and the song continues with serpentine and kaleidoscopic electronic effects throughout. The song, as described by Clarke herself, is about the nation's reaction to the results of the November 2004 election, although many different meanings can be and have been interpreted. "January Mourning" brings Clarke's unblemished vocals to the forefront. For this number, she makes the piano really sound alive. Despite its subject matter (the end of a relationship), it's not a song about defeat, but rather about strength. For "Fight or Flight", she hits her most impressive notes on the album, reinforcing the background spark which has possibly motivated all her causes-- the need for all of us to take greater social responsibility: "Don't say there's nothing left to do, Giving up is what they want from you; Fight or flight baby, What are you gonna do? Stand up for your rights, or simply turn off the lights; And hope that no one notices you..."


"After the Fall" is an album that only Amy Clarke could create. The singer-songwriter pays tribute to strong, independent women and the men and women who love them, reinforcing the need for love, equality, and tolerance for all. And while promoting these causes, she makes music that sounds really, really wondrous.


Check out: www.AmyClarke.com
and
www.MySpace.com/AmyClarke