Denison Witmer
Recovered
Fugitive
Recovered sees Philadelphian singer-songwriter Denison Witmer covering artists who have influenced his work or, as the liner notes suggest, artists whom Witmer has discovered through reading reviews of his own albums. In any case, this collection of songs seems to have come together perfectly naturally, the music easily translatable into Witmer’s own musical horizon. He tackles the material with quiet grace, avoiding all contrived attempts at straying far from the original versions in some misguided attempt at staking out his “individuality.” Rather, he treats the songs he has chosen with respectful confidence, injecting them with his unique voice seemingly without even trying.
The songs by the most “obvious” reference artists works best: The two Jackson Browne tracks are particularly successful, as are Graham Nash’s “Simple Man” and Neil Young’s “Love in Mind.” Less obvious, but both intriguing and moving, are his version of Big Star’s “Nightime” and the hypnotic take on Carole King’s “So Far Away.” Not Witmer’s most essential album this, but Recovered still bears remarkable testimony to his ability to rejuvenate his musical heritage with a new sense of wonder and intrigue.
Fugitive Recordings: http://www.fugitiverecordings.com/
