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Tuesday 1 August 2023

Largs, Wolverhampton and Devon

 


2023 Charity Shop Purchases #67 - Devon Sproule - Keep Your Silver Shined

We were sat in the line of cars waiting to get the ferry from Largs to Millport when Mrs CC said "there's a Banardo's, why don't you have a quick look?". Yes a charity shop right at the ferry terminal. Needless to say I jumped at the chance.
I was in and out in less that five minutes which was just as well as my phone was on the blink and Mrs CC had been frantically phoning me to let me know that the queue was beginning to move.

You will be glad to know that in that short space of time I came away with a CD  for a pound namely Keep Your Silver Shined by Devon Sproule from 1997 on the Tin Angel label. Somewhat bizzarely  it seems to have originated from Wolverhampton Public Libraries. It would be interesting to know how it ended up in Largs.

The name was vaguely familiar. I knew that Ernie had posted stuff by her before. I thought she was Americana but the CD was labelled by the library as Folk. 

Amazon writes: This is the first UK release for Virginian female singer-songwriter Devon Sproule
.Keep Your Silver Shined' highlights Devon's talent for combining Appalachian country with distinctive folk and jazz influences. With her trademark vintage dresses and 50-year-old Gibson guitar, this is old-time Americana bluegrass/country with a jazzy swing feel - reminiscent of Jolie Holland or The Be Good Tanyas.
Later they say:  she has been described as "worthy of holding her own on a shelf with anyone from Joni Mitchell to Gillian Welch".

I think this one will take a couple of listens although Mrs CC has already given it her seal of approval..
A jazzy Gillian Welch/Michelle Shocked seems like a good description and I suspect that it will be a grower.



2 comments:

  1. I agree with Mrs CC, although comparing her to Joni and Gillian is a bit OTT

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  2. Like both those tracks esp the first. Thought I already had something by her but I was wrong. Thanks to you she is now nestled next to Tobin Sprout in my iTunes library

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