Allison Brown: Viper At The Virgin's Feet

[Benjamin A. Vazquez U.E.]

Viper At The Virgin's Feet

Artist: Allison Brown
Album: Viper At the Virgin's Feet
Year: 2010
CD#: 49151
Best Tracks: #1, #4, #7, #8, #9, #12
Comments Overall: Folk music with a tinge of country. Very enjoyable indeed. I found myself noting the stories more than the music, but the music would be excellent on its own regardless. The woman has a liking for sad songs.

1. All The Birds, 3:37 - Energetic, constantly moving, instantly identifiable, possibly the best track on the cd.
2. If I Was A Weathergirl, 3:41 - Starts slow, picks up rapidly, quirky lyrics regarding a certain marriage with a race car driver.
3. Something Holy, 4:26 - Folk-spiritual, well orchestrated, interlude midway with a fiddle.
4. Pancho & Lefty, 4:51 - Slow, mournful tale of an outlaw who died somewhere in Mexico. The music fits the lyrics perfectly.
5. In My Time Of Dying, 3:31 - Folk-spiritual, beat is faster than it feels, magnificent gospel-style vocals.
6. Calling My Children, 5:41 - Slow, sad, told from the point of view of a mother whos children have all moved away.
7. Mr. Valentine's Dead, 4:21 - Danceable waltz: Mr. Valentine is dead, but apparently sees that as a poor excuse to stop drinking or dancing. The angels get plastered before they can carry him off to heaven. A riot of a song, really.
8. Uncloudy Day / Evenin' Train, 4:22 - Begins as folk spiritual: slow, deep, halting. Transforms halfway through into somethng much more gospel inspired. Slows down at the very end.
9. Long Ride Home, 4:08 - Melodic, slow, beautiful. The lyrics are mournful; the music somewhat less so. Very beautiful.
10. The Nice Guy, 3:32 - Flamenco-style guitar, quiet lovely voice, slow piece altogether. Told by a woman lamenting that a friend of hers isn't interested in her romantically.
11. When Will I Wake Up?, 3:37 - Very slow, guitar and voice with some understated backup. Sad and mournful.
12. Our Town, 4:21 - Farewell to a hometown. Sad, but very beautiful. Wildly and magnificently nostalgic.
13. If I Was A Weathergirl, Part II, 3:31 - Track two re-recorded with just Allison and her Guitar.

Note: Allison Brown currently resides in Toronto, but the cd is slotted as "local" because Allison finished it before she left London, and the cd was released here.

Facebook: www.myspace.com/allisonbrownmusic

[Benjamin A. Vazquez U.E.]

Allison Brown is a woman with a story to tell.

Several stories, actually. Standing in the best folk tradition, Viper at the Virgin's Feet is all about the stories. Twelve of them, one after another. Some of them are, in a sense, spiritual. Others are, in a sense, romantic. All of them are gritty, deep, and loving.

There is, after all, an inherently gritty element to the marriage of a weathergirl and a racecar driver, or a fatal encouter of outlaws in Mexico, not to mention dancing corpses. In less expert hands the grittiness might, in fact, have been all there was to this CD. But Allison meets the grit with with an all-encompasing love of life. She finds the miraculous in death, and beauty in the most unexpected places.

If Allison had come this far but no further I could still level against her the charge of merely setting to music that which should be left as poetry. I have long believed that these with something to say should say it as opposed to sing it, and that poetry should often be left in its native state. But here the music adds much giving the tales a depth of feeling which they wouldn't otherwise have possessed. Guitars, Violins, Banjos, Pianos, and Harmonicas are woven together into a musical tapestry of seemingly infinite strength.

This CD is, however, one last keepsake. At the end of the summer Allison will be relocating to Toronto. If Viper at the Virgin's Feet is any indication, the big city should do marvelous things for her. We all wish her the best of luck.

- Review by Benjamin A. Vazquez, U.E.

[Benjamin A. Vazquez U.E.]

Local singer/songwriter Allison Brown gives Londoners a fine parting gift with her new album, Viper at the Virgin’s Feet. Brown, who is leaving the Forest City for Toronto, offers an exceptionally crafted collection of folk and country songs. Produced by David Essig, this is her most memorable, polished record to date.


The disc begins brightly with “All the Birds” and moves easily into “If I was a Weathergirl,” a mid-tempo tune of longing accentuated by Brown’s catchy hooks and clever lyrics. The Gospel-tinged numbers “Something Holy” and “In My Time of Dying,” and the poignancy of “Pancho & Lefty,” showcase the diversity of styles and the wide vocal range that Allison Brown is able to present in this new release.


Viper at the Virgin’s Feet offers an authentic rural flavour and Brown particularly conveys a mature, confident delivery in “Long Ride Home” while effortlessly slipping into a slightly pop vocal with “The Nice Guy” (accompanied by some gentle Spanish strumming).


“Our Town” would make a fine close to the record. However, listeners are treated to a bonus track, an alternative take on “If I was a Weathergirl”. The overall strength of this album leaves the listener wondering if Allison should head straight to Nashville and forego the T-dot stay, though after repeated hearings of Viper at the Virgin’s Feet, it’s clear her music should blossom anywhere.

- Reviewed by Andreas Gripp