Brigid Mae Power: Dream From the Deep Well

The summertime haze is here. And Irish singer-songwriter Brigid Mae Power has embraced a slow simmer in her latest release, Dream from the Deep Well. With a sort of haunting presence, Power takes on a folk-country blend with spacey backing instrumentals. It has a lazy atmosphere, but it’s also an exciting project to sink into.

“I Know Who Is Sick” starts the album, and it’s a bit weird. The song itself starts as if it’s uncertain. And then we get a sort of Irish ballad meets Wild West standoff amalgamation. It’s unsettling, disturbing even. It might recall “The Fisherman’s Wife” by Steeleye Span, though not so much in musical style but coming from the lineage of, the musical canon of. There’s a very specific genre that is being copied, paid homage to in the track. Where Span’s piece takes on a fairytale (unicorns on tapestries and parading knights) vibe, Power is a bit more gritty yet has a cautionary feel to it, too.

But then the album moves on, and Power’s soft vocals trap the listener—in a good way. She sings offhand almost like she’s distracted, but that’s part of the overall attraction. The haze or smog creeps in and enfolds our ears. And it’s mesmerizing.

For musicians, there’s a difference between breathy and soft-spoken. Norah Jones can be a bit breathy while keeping to a lovely sound. But Power is soft-spoken; her diction is slightly distorted, but she has a lot of power and control when it comes to her vocal powers. “I Must Have Been Blind” seems to float on air. It is delicate but not gossamer. There’s still something solid to hang on to. And that’s not easy—especially when the whole shtick is being dreamy and drifting along. But where some singers might wander off, Power sticks with her composition. She has a beat and it’s clear.

The directness of the album makes it more accessible. This isn’t Sarah Harmer with a rocker’s sensibilities or Joni Mitchell’s flexibility that came with exploring other musical genres like jazz. But Power does have something of Mitchell’s wail and emotion—an earlier Mitchell that was singing “Night in the City.” The fifth and six tracks could easily be an honest homage. But they are also very much Power, herself. She doesn’t give herself over; she stays true to her sound and what she wants to give her audience.

And then she changes it up a bit with “I’ll Be Waiting Outside.” Now it’s a bit like Emmylou Harris, something from Luxury Liner or Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town. Especially that pedal steel guitar sound. Again, her sliding vocals serve her well. Power sings of love and though lyrically she isn’t exactly original, it’s a decent song and pleasant to listen to.

Every once in a while, it seems as if she’s giving us material that isn’t trying to cloak itself in artistic experiment, as if she’s playing with being more mainstream. The title track is easy to listen to, and its pop sound makes it a sure standout. Like “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer, the folk-pop blend creates an aching earworm. Power isn’t completely coming over to the star-machine-maker, but she’s allowing herself to open up and explore different styles that she can mold and make her own. Any artist that is truly on an adventure will pursue a sound, a vibe, a technique that is outside of themselves. These tastes and textures show a confident musician not afraid of becoming someone new without forgetting their old self. It’s all about growth and maturation.

Dream from the Deep Well will give fans a taste of a changing Brigid Mae Power. However, it isn’t a betrayal, a turning of one’s back. She’s certainly holding on to her past projects and using what she already knows to dip her toes into different rivers of interest. The acoustic guitar is her main vehicle—besides her voice of course. It keeps time and really creates the atmosphere that is so important to this album. The sense of a summer sun sinking shimmers throughout. There is beauty and sadness here. The concept is solid, the execution is careful and precise. It is a tight release that knows what’s what. Power delivers once again, and, though the songs are all similar in musical tone, there is a wealth of emotion, feeling, and stardust to connect with.