Annie Keating 'Make Believing' - Self Release

This is the sixth release from an artist who continues to mature in both her song writing and production skills. The eight musicians featured here all serve the song arrangements with gentle playing and colour the mix in all the right places. Whether singing about Coney Island and the atmosphere of the boardwalk, or the joy of walking down a Sunny Dirt Road, the playing is assured and reflects the acoustic feel of the overall production.

Banjo duels with fiddle and mandolin flirts with harmonica and pedal steel across the songs. Matt Keating on organ and piano fills out the sound in an understated manner with the harmonica chops of Trina Hamlin a constant source of pleasure. Know How to Fall gives fine advice to the young and reflects upon the balance of joy and heartache. Lost Girls is poignant with some subtle guitar playing from Chis Tarrow. The closing song If You Want to Fly repeats the earlier Know How to Fall lyric but delivers a different, more reflective arrangement. Sensitive playing coupled with mature writing makes this a very impressive release.