On The Brightness, Ana's Mitchell's third album, the singer/songwriter demonstrates a welcome departure from her earlier, more mainstream-sounding efforts. Her light, folksy offerings have evolved into something more experimental and far more enjoyable.
Despite her small town background, the Vermont native writes like a traveling, mournful poet. On "Changer" she sings, "If I can't keep it / At least let me call it by name / That was called falling / This is called pain / This is called love what I'm losing." recalling an early Damien Rice with her simple, heavy-hearted lyrics. Her arrangements are acoustic and sparse, and tracks like "Your Fonder Heart" and "Shenandoah" are full of the beautiful, layered harmonies that make folk so enjoyable.
Mitchell breaks free of her genre, though. Her voice's wondrous, childlike quality shines as a highly accessible cross between Regina Spektor and Joanna Newsom. Her songs are simple pieces that capture both the rolling outdoors she grew up in and the lonely cities that we all wander through. There is a religious quality to her delivery and a worldliness that makes Mitchell seem beyond her twenty-five years.
The Brightness is Mitchell's debut on folk-goddess Ani DiFranco's label, Righteous Babe. While one might expect a sound akin to Ani's own spoken word and guitar-driven work, this record delivers something very different. Mitchell is the natural label mate for artists like Andew Bird, delivering classic folk genius while delving into progressive ground with an unforgettable voice.
