Caught in the Carousel

Amy Allison

By Don Ciccone

Amy Allison

Amy Allison has been making great records since the mid 90's. Just ask Elvis Costello, who included her cult classic The Maudlin Years, in his list of the 500 best albums ever for Vanity Fair. Hailing from Long Island, she's the daughter of jazz/blues great Mose Allison. Inspired by Loretta Lynn, she fronted an urban country outfit called the Maudlins, then went on to form Parlor James with Ryan Hedgecock, formerly of Lone Justice. Since then she's released five solo albums, all to critical acclaim. She has a distinctive voice but it's genuine, not affected and really quite lovely. Her latest album, Sheffield Streets, may be her most accomplished, showing off her love of varied roots music, including country, '60s girl group pop, '30s standards and cool jazz.

Caught In The Carousel: The title track of your new album is an ode to Sheffield. Most of us (who've never been) think of it as the Pittsburgh of Britain, but you make it sound like Paris! Tell us a little about how you wrote it...and was it really written on a beer mat?

Amy Allison: I lived there a long time ago for almost two years. I was married to a guy from there. It was culture shock for me at first and though I was lonely I got into it. I didn't write "Sheffield Streets" 'til recently, so although I may have written parts of other songs on beer mats, not that one. I was just waxing nostalgic...it was an interesting time to be there. The city was in transition. Like me, it was kind of depressed. A lot of great old stuff is gone and I'm glad I was there to see it. I imagined I was living in a kitchen sink drama. You know those films from the '60s? I always loved those.

Amy Allison

CITC: I love the photos you took of Sheffield inside the CD cover. When was the last time you were there? And who did the great video for the song?

AA: I was there about six years ago and did a solo gig there. Can't remember the details. Those photos were all taken sometime in the '80s. The guy who made the video is a friend I knew when I lived there, Jim Buck. Isn't it a nice video?

CITC: Your last couple of albums were done in Scotland but this was cut in Los Angeles. Why the switch?

AA: Well, it wasn't a deliberate switch. I love working with Davie Scott in Scotland. I've known and admired Don Heffington for a long time and we always talked about recording something together. We did "Come Sweet Evening" two years before the other tracks—can you tell? Finally we got it together to do more and it was so fun. Don is a brilliant musician with great taste and he has such a relaxed and natural approach. Also, he knows and is admired by so many other great musicians. He made it all happen.

CITC: How did it feel recording there as opposed to Glasgow?

AA: Hotter. Both were great experiences.

Amy Allison

CITC: You reunited with the ParlorJames guys for this album. Was that fun? And how about the guest stars? Elvis Costello is one of your biggest fans.

AA: Well, I am most definitely one of his. I'm still stunned that it happened. And especially since I wasn't able to be in L.A. when he recorded his part. It's like it magically happened. But Don assures me he really was there and he has a picture to prove it. The others as well...I just have to thank Don for getting them all on board. Dave Alvin is an absolutely wonderful guy who I greatly admire. I got to do the session with him and I played his acoustic. What a thrill. And Van Dyke Parks who graciously did that beautiful part on "Dream World." And Greg Liesz, Bob Glaub, Josh Grange and of course, Ryan Hedgecock, my partner in Parlor James, all of whom I've worked with before—I love them all. And of course my dad, who wrote "Monsters" almost 40 years ago and plays on this version. Some of the others I haven't had the pleasure to meet but I hope to soon. I'm stunned by the level of generosity and artistry that went into it. It all happened so organically though, it didn't even feel like a big deal. And then all of a sudden we had a record. These guys are the best.

CITC: You revisit a couple of your old classics like "Why Must It Be?" and "Hate At First Sight." I think this new version of the former is perfect; great production with the Phil Spector sax. What made you go back to those songs? It's something you seem to do on each album.

AA: Well, I don't think anyone got to hear "Why Must It Be?" The only previous version is unavailable. Sire's got the rights to it of course and they dropped Parlor James exactly a week after that album's (Old Dreams) release date, I think. Fun times. But this new version is truer to what was in my mind and I always wanted to redo it. The sax solo is so perfect that it cracks me up every time I hear it. That's Jeff Turmes. All the horn parts on this record are a highlight. Dave Ralicke arranged "Monsters Of The Id," "Why Must It Be?" and "Mardi Gras Moon." Jeff Turmes arranged "The Needle Skips" and Lee Thornburg did the entire brass band for "Sheffield Streets." I just love them all. Anyway, back to your question, well, Don thought of doing "Hate At First Sight" again and I'm glad he did. I love this version. And Greg Liesz did that perfecto guitar part. I think I've redone songs because it's really safe to say that hardly anyone ever heard the first versions anyway and I thought they were good songs that deserved another chance or a different approach.

Amy Allison

CITC: What's next? Back to Scotland?

AA: Well, as a matter of fact, yes. Davie Scott, who I did the last two records with, and I are writing and singing together. We did six songs last summer that I love. So I'll be back over there this summer staying with my good friend Lindsay Hutton and recording more stuff with Davie.

Internet: www.amyallisonmusic.com

Sheffield Streets is out now on the Urban Myth Recording Collective.