We all like our heroes to have a colourful past but we know that all to often that some talentless twonk, who has committed some minor misdemeanour, is just desperate to earn a few more column inches in some rag that focuses more on tat than talent (I’m looking at you Justin Bieber – put the eggs down). On the other hand there are artists who have amazing scary lives that remain largely unknown. The late great Warren Zevon had stacks of talent and lived a wild reckless life that seems now to only be known by a small circle of obsessives. Which brings us, neatly, to Awna Teixeira who not only has a most unpronounceable name but also really did lead a colourful life to boot. Her on-line biography paints a picture of a troubled child, touched by music at an early age, wandering the streets of Toronto with a toy piano writing songs. This, naturally, lead to a life of crime culminating in a stint as a gateway driver for a local criminal gang! The difference here is the talent. In the end the talent will out.
Awna Teixeira has that talent and eventually she found her way back into music and hooked up with Alison Russell and travelled the world with semi-legendary folk-Americana band Po’ Girl before they exploded with too much talent and Russell went off to form the excellent Birds of Chicago whilst Awna began her solo recording career. This is her second album and it’s a work of swirling mystery steeped in sweet misery with uplifting haunting music and an eclectic palette of songs and instruments. The songs touch on joy, sadness, depression and mental illness. Not your usual fare then.
These songs clearly mean a great deal to Awna as she comments in her press release: “You pile together a collection of songs you have written along the way and do whatever you can to find a way to record and release them, and pray to the stars that it will all fall into place. When I first started writing these songs almost two years ago, I decided that I would like to somehow use this release to help raise mental health awareness. There are songs on this album that make reference to and are for some beautiful people in my life that struggle with mental illness and for some beautiful people we have lost along the way. All of these songs are very personal to me. About people I have loved and lost, about learning to trust my true voice, about learning to find my wild again and about my own struggle coming to terms with depression and trying to find my peace with it”.
Thunderbird by Awna Teixeira
You can hear all these themes running through this wonderful album as it kicks with a drone like lead into “The Light in You” a plea for happiness from a seemingly dark place that bleeds into the self-explanatory “Blue Heart on Your Sleeve”. Awna’s dreamy vocals serve to place the songs and melodies somewhere just out of reach in the ether. “Yellow Moon” is a wonderful example of this dreamscape with an airy piano creating an atmosphere of mystery. “Bees and Things” introduces a touch of percussion that gives it more of an edge and talks of getting away from difficulties and the need to let things follow there own path “it don’t matter what you’re looking for” she tells us. “Thunderbird” has a wonderful sharp echoing guitar hook and a nice line in whistling with a haunting vocal that recalls Stevie a Nicks at her most vulnerable supported by a church organ and ghostly massed choir.
“Freedom Hunter” asks us to “fly, fly, fly” and look to the future with hope in our hearts as Awna’s voice soars and is lifted by a gentle guitar and a warm wash of organ. The album is full of this type of warmth and delivers a sense of joyful longing from start to finish. For me, the last two song’s on the album are the peak with a romp through “A Sailor’s Dream” with thumping tribal drums and a swelling accordion giving the song a feel like The Band at their very best. That’s followed by the stunning “Away We Go” that begins with a lightly picked acoustic guitar and Awna tells us sadly that every song’s been sung but she still has love and beauty. She’s still confident that she she can “still do anything, babe” as her voices soars and is filled with spirit and a deep sense of melancholy.
This is an album for those who still yearn to hear music by someone who you may not have heard of but will have you remembering why it’s worthwhile investing time into 40 minutes of new music -an excellent record.
Reviewer: Greg Johnson
nemmblog 