Album Review: Marybeth D'Amico - The Light Inside (LongMan)

With this follow up to her 2008 debut HEAVEN, HELL, SIN AND REDEMPTION, Marybeth D'Amico once again delivers twelve fresh songs from her own pen, opting this time for a rockier edge with the help of producer Bradley Kopp's electric guitar together with a band comprising once again Paul Pearcy on drums and David Webb on keyboards, and introducing for this album Glenn Fukunaga on bass and Mark Hallman on everything with more than six strings, including mandolin, mandola and bouzouki, both of whom boast an impressive CV including working with the likes of Bob Dylan, Carole King and Dan Fogelberg. 

The themes of light and dark are prominent in the songs on the album, such as the self-dressing-down Inside Out, together with moments of sensitivity, such as the self-probing Stubborn Land featuring backing vocals by Kopp's partner Lorrie Singer and the natural disaster analogy of a lost girl in Beneath the Rubble, together with the gently optimistic Tiny Star, which closes the album. Having lived in Germany for a good while, a song like Der Grezner will be a closely observed reflection on the 'wall years', with a song from the perspective of a border guard, growing increasingly doubtful of the merits of her job throughout the song.

Originally conceived as a rootsy folk record, the album developed into something different with Kopp's desire to utilise the electric guitar, resulting in a much fuller sound, which in turn suits the songs. With a full rhythm section at D'Amico's disposal, that sound stands up as a vibrant piece of contemporary Americana.