"My parents had a country band, that's where I cut my teeth, I was five or six and I would go to the rehearsals," Sabra Faulk remembers. "They were a really good band, that's where it started for me."
On her new 11-track album, Faulk incorporates the country music of her youth with Americana and blues; she is the sole songwriter and plays most of the instruments. While the lyrics, music and the guest musicians definitely command attention, it is Faulk's gorgeous singing that draws in the listener.
Title track, "Acoustic Angel," pays homage to Lucinda Williams (Old gravel roads and Delta Blues and a love that didn't stay) with perfectly punctuated dobro by John Jensen. Following is "I Said," a lyrically searing tune - Shut up, I said, your words fall down like clouds made of lead. And I want things you can't give me anyway - that features Heather Hardy's strong, scintillating violin. Break-up song, "Temporary," is actually encouraging with an upbeat vibe: Put it in perspective, keep your objective, don't you life in mortal fear.
"I Can't Say No" is heartbreakingly beautiful; in "Tell the Truth" one can hear the frustration with political agendas, "Trouble" is a sexy, bluesy tune about the appeal of those "bad news" lovers.
Track eight, "The Curse," is about the anguish of chemotherapy and Faulk's mother's battle with breast cancer (which she won). I can't believe that I let you under my skin. Instead of making it better, you just make it worse. Sometimes the cure is more like a curse. "It's sort of her voice saying, 'I get that I have to do this, but I don't like it and I don't like you'," Faulk explains.
Ending the album is "Fireflies and Moonbeams," a sweet lullaby Faulk originally wrote in 2006 for a compilation album that benefitted the New Beginnings for Women and Children charity. Faulk says she initially struggled with writer's block until "all of a sudden one night, I thought of the 'Fireflies and Moonbeams' line, and the whole song came from there. It came to me from a muse somewhere because it just wrote itself. I just started writing and it all came out."
The entire album is a must-have for fans of the genres, and the $15 price is well worth it.
The CD release is Sunday, December 4 at Boondocks, 3306 N. 1st Ave. Confirmed to join Faulk that night are Beverly Seckinger, Mitzi Cowell, Bunny Kirby and Heather Hardy. First Sundays are usually Hardy's Lil' Mama Blues and Barbeque, but, Faulk says, "Heather is graciously allowing me to use that night for my CD release and I really appreciate that." More at SabraFaulk.com.
About Sabra
Born and raised in Willcox, Arizona, Faulk's music education came at an early age. "My mom taught me how to harmonize, she taught me how to play guitar and I went on teaching myself. When I was around eight and a half (years old), my dad had this cool little Fender guitar, and when he'd go off to work, he'd tell me not to touch his guitar, and I'd wait until he left," Faulk laughs at the memory.
Faulk went on to learn bass, and played with her first band at eighteen. The first gig she did determined her musical path. "I felt really comfortable onstage," Faulk explains. "I felt like, 'This is where I belong.' I liked the fact that the hours weren't eight hours, like a regular job. I'm a night owl anyway, so it was perfect."
For close to three decades, Faulk has pretty much been a fulltime musician, performing with a slew of local luminaries. "I feel really blessed and fortunate to play with so many great musicians all the time. Tucson is truly amazing how loving this musical community is."
