Now Playing: Martha Groves Perry’s ‘Call Out’

Martha Groves Perry is readying for the release of a new album. It's titled Call Out and has a drop date of April 21st, 2023. But first, for those of you not yet familiar with the artist in question, a bit o’ background.

Martha Groves Perry

According to Perry’s official website, San Francisco, California-based American “singer-songwriter, entertainer, and multi-instrumentalist” who began her career in music as a cellist performing on albums by Bev Barnett & Greg Newlon, Michèle Sharik, and Mira Wooten. She was a backing vocalist touring with the Newlons for two years, fronted a sang backup and toured with Bev and Greg in 2007-2009, then fronted the dance cover band Soul Providers until 2011, then formed the all-female band MapleDream.

Her rockin’ resume also includes a pair of previous platters including her solo debut disc, the EP Something Good which dropped in 2016, and her second solo album, 2020’s These Hands. She has also performed with such other artists as Rich Armstrong, Jesse Brewster, Uriah Duffy, Skip Edwards, Crystal Monee Hall, Greg Tanner Harris, Tony Lindsay, and James Nash.

Signature Sound

Perry’s signature sound is a mix of multiple music genres including Americana, adult alternative, blues, rock, and a hint of jazz. Her music contains “strong blues, southern rock, and experimental influences and a badass Americana flavor.”

Undoubtedly her past has influenced her music. Perry recently discussed this online. She said:

“I wanted to be a folk singer. My parents listened mostly to classical music, but also to Simon & Garfunkel and the Kingston Trio, and I knew every song in detail – melodies, harmonies, and lyrics. I also grew up around campfires where angsty college students with guitars – almost all of them young men – poured out Neil Young, Eagles, and America like water, and every girl in the fire’s glow lapped it up. That felt like the closest thing to real life.”

Perry added: “At my house, however, music lessons were classical, and they started with the neighborhood piano teacher. By high school, I was playing piano concerti by Mozart and Beethoven. I also took up the cello in the sixth grade, and I was always the kid in choir that got the solos, so I started classical voice lessons in high school, with plenty of Caro Mio Ben and Sebben Crudele to feed the agony in my pubescent psyche.”

Call Out

Call Out is a 12-track live album with a running time of minutes. It is an album of new, original material. Here Perry leads the way on acoustic guitar, cello, and vocals. She is backed by producer Kenny Schick on “all other instruments and backing vocals.” Schick refers to her lyrics as “journaling in poetry.”

Track by Track

The album opens on “Anyway.” It’s a strong lead-in and provides but barely foreshadows what remains to come on this straightforward honest audio offering.

“You Might” quickly sets the standard for Perry’s signature sound although, in truth, there are more surprises to come here.

The next number is the novel single “Blessed Avalanche”. It perfectly captures the all-too-common feeling of things falling apart despite our best efforts and hopes. Yet it is also joyous and sounds as if it was enjoyable to record.

Perry notes: “The jagged, crunchy, southern rock groove in ‘Blessed Avalanche’ speaks eloquently about not carrying sh*t around and trying to be strong when you really need to put stuff down. Having worked in restaurants, I know how oddly satisfying the sound of breaking dishes can be, and it seemed an apt and amusing metaphor for what happens when it all gets to be a bit too much and then comes crashing down. This song’s groove reflects one direction my music is going.” The track features additional backing vocals by Sabiné Heusler-Schick.

“The Dare” is a driving, upbeat offering. It pretty much has to be to not be overshadowed by the previous piece. It’s fun and youthful.

“Let The Wind Come” is one of those songs that demonstrates Perry’s penchant for mixing a certain type of music with more serious subjects. It’s a persevering turning point tune.

“Feel Something” has a slightly deeper, darker feel to it. Still, it works well in terms of track placement and the overall context of the album. It earned its selection as a focus track.

The seventh selection is “Purely Who You Are”. It works so well on an album where she musically insists that there is a definite distinction between darkness and light.

“The Talk” is another example of Perry’s ability to write songs that pulse, churn, and move. With a running time of barely over three minutes, it seems to end a tad too soon.

“Four Leaf Clover” follows. It, like most of her other material, has its own distinct identity. It is unfortunately all too quickly overshadowed by the next number.

The somewhat smoky “Dumping My Delusion” is insightful, tight, and edgy. Perry somehow seems to cleverly combine elements of ever-present Americana, jazz, and even soul. In a recent online missive, Perry confirmed your rockin’ writer’s largely unspoken initial impressions.

She said: “With a vibe reminiscent of PJ Harvey and Morphine, ‘Dumping My Delusion’ tells the story of a weird moment of clarity, standing in my bedroom looking out the window, when I realized that it was senseless for me to carry around a years-old hurt that those who inflicted it were not even thinking about anymore. The song has a grinding, noshing, releasing mood, kind of like pulling off the top of your head, reaching in, rummaging that stuff together, then chucking it as hard and as far away as you can. My producer, Kenny Schick, nailed the feeling, cementing a decided, new direction in my music that involves a lot of electric guitar overdrive.”

Also included here is “McKiely’s Song”. It features additional backing vocals by McKiely’s Song Chorus which reportedly includes almost 60 individuals. (If you want to see the list of names, buy the album.) The song holds its own without being overly aggressive and also works as a stripped-down acoustic cut.

The closing cut is “Little Life”. It serves as one final example of just what Perry can do and reminds the careful listener that regardless of the subject evocatively explored in her poetic lyrics, her melodies remain magnetic and hold one’s focus.

Overall…

Overall, this album is an exceptional example of Perry’s singer-songwriter skills. Here her varied musical background and life experience are out in the open as she adds assorted elements of multiple music genres to her individualistic insights to tunefully tell her truth. Her sharp, no-nonsense numbers come complete with pensive thought-provoking lyrics that acknowledge the good, the bad, and the ugly in an intriguing, entertaining presentation of oft’times contrasting cuts and familiar universal themes. So, check out Martha Grovers Perry’s Call Out because “You Might” just really enjoy it!

(Images courtesy of Martha Groves Perry)