"Way Back When," the debut album from the acoustic folk group the Divine Maggees, offers an inoffensive listening experience, but falls short of being truly memorable. The group, which calls its style "unconventional folk-rock," has produced a collection of seven songs that range from pleasant to droning.
The Divine Maggees pair consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Danielle Tibedo and fiddle player Cregan Montague. Interestingly, the group has issued its own mission statement: "to create, share and spread throughout the world provocative messages of love, hope and trust through powerful, lasting music."
Unfortunately, the music seems to lack its intended staying power. Even after multiple listens, neither the lyrics nor the rhythms linger in the mind of the listener. The primary reason for this shortcoming is the overall lack of innovation . The theme of love is an old one, and genuine innovation is required to set a new love song apart from the virtually infinite number of existing works.
However, standard folk rhythms and lyrics such as "I want to live in a world where everybody looks like you" fail to break the mold, much less redefine the genre.
To their credit, the Divine Mag-gees have produced a remarkably polished amateur recording. The guitar and fiddle work is well coordinated, and the instrumental lead-ins occasionally promise far more than the lyrics deliver. The vocal quality is generally good, and the balance between voice and music volume is consistent. Tibedo and Montague demonstrate superior technical skill as folk musicians, even if the music itself is standard fare.
While the album as a whole lacks distinguishing qualities, the fifth track, "Never Broken," merits special attention. Tibedo's opening guitar rhythm provides one of the most distinctive sounds on the album, and the lyrics, if not exceptional, are sufficiently appealing not to detract from the work as a whole. "Never Broken" is strong enough to set itself apart from the other love songs on the album, and its heartfelt message is strong enough to survive an unfortunate abundance of song-writing cliches ("I feel like my life is falling to pieces/When this anger and love is all that leads us").
If "Never Broken" is the highlight of the album, then "Pink Fairy Wish Poodle" is the artistic nadir. Don't let the song title fool you; "Pink Fairy" is even worse than its name suggests. The lyrics include such bizarre and emotionally unappealing lines as "Pink fairy poodle, you're so beautiful" and stale standbys like "you took my breath away."
But the most shockingly bad feature of this track is a back-up vocal that's a dead ringer for Patti or Selma, Marge Simpson's chain-smoking sisters. The first time you hear this, you'll probably do a double-take and laugh. Weird Al would be proud of such a comic flourish, but a backfire like this is inexcusable for a track that is not intended to elicit laughs.
Urinals have sold for outrageous sums under the banner of modern art. Mimes spend hours doing nothing -- and people watch. Lou Bega has fans.
Compared to these efforts, The Divine Maggees are a class act. But the Maggees fail to deliver innovation, especially considering their focus on the artistically saturated genre of love-inspired acoustic folk.
The Divine Maggees offer free downloads from "Way Back When" on www.divinemaggees.com, so folk enthusiasts can draw their own conclusions free of charge. If you like what you hear, a visit to the Maggees' upcoming Dartmouth performance could be worthwhile. The group is will be appearing at the Big Green Bean in Collis at 9 p.m. this Saturday.
