Cry Cry Cry

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Cry Cry Cry

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After falling in love with Dar Williams thanks to "The Honesty Room" and "The Mortal City," and being somewhat disappointed with her later efforts, I bought "Cry, Cry, Cry" mostly as an introduction to Richard Shindell and Lucy Kaplansky, whose work I'd been meaning to get into.

Now it's true that I've experienced a rather turbulent point of time in my life over the past few years, being a high school student, but "By Way Of Sorrow" is the most life-affirming song I've ever heard. I'm an avid fan of music; unfortunately, some might even categorize me as a hipster. I love music. But I've never cried after hearing a song. Ever. Never before has a song brought me to a state of pure emotion before the stunning cover of Julie Miller's song.

I wept... sobbed... through the rest of the album. But I smiled the whole way through it. Emily Dickinson once wrote, "If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only ways I know it. Is there any other way?" By the time you have heard this CD, you *will* discover it.

I must say, I am an adoring fan of Dar Williams. I have all of her CD's and I adore her work. When I saw this collection I bought it right away. I really love Lucy Kaplansky's voice as well as Richard Shindell. They blend beautifully together... I love the song "The Ballad of Mary Magdalene" but that is the high spot in an album that otherwise lacks luster. It just doesn't have the heart to move me to listen to it. There are a few great renditions...but that's the thing...there's only a few. Some of the songs aren't even bearable to listen the entire way through. I love these three artists, but I must recommend buying their individual albums before this one, the songs are just so much better...and sung with so much more emotion.