Dawn Landes: Fireproof

Elly Roberts reviews

Dawn Landes: Fireproof
Distributed by
Boy Scout RecordingsCover

  • January 2008
  • Rating: 8/10
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Recording engineer goes to…. the other side.

Originally from Kentucky, now Brooklyn based, Dawn Landes brings herroots to the Big Apple with style and credibility. Her strikingly beautifulvoice is a major feature of the simple recordings done at an old fire stationin Red Hook in Brooklyn NY.

Recorded mostly live with seven musical buddies who play instruments as variedas traditional banjos, pedal steel, and harmonica to less trad optigons, thumband toy pianos. The results are quite dazzling; on what can be consideredcontemporary or alt-folk music. There’s a very good batch of songs to get yourteeth into, especially the snapped introduced plucky rocker Bodyguard,a cool opener.


Covering traditional I Don’t Need A Man, her hollowed vocals steer thedelightful simple rocker. There’s no doubt, for me anyway, Landes comes worksbest when she’s just doing straightforward acoustic ballads such as Tired Of This Lifebecause once again, her pristine singing is in sharper focus. Twilightdoes the same for her, though the pedal steel is a sumptuous addition.

Sugar-coated Goodnight Lover is probably the kind of song that mightcapture the UK’s imagination, but other songs, however good they are, maystruggle. Oh..and..don’t forget to remember the hidden acoustic cover ofTom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down that follows the door shutting effect oncloser You Alone. It’s pretty impressive.

File under: Very cool country-folk.

Weblinks:dawnlandes.com /myspace.com/dawnlandes


The full list of tracks included are :

1. Bodyguard
2. I Don’t Need No Man (Traditional)
3. Tired Of This Life
4. Twilight
5. Private Little Hell
6. Picture Show
7. Kids In A Show
8. Toy Piano
9. Dig Me A Hole
10. I’m In Love With The Night
11. You Alone

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