Denison Witmer

Item: Recovered
Author: Tyler Baber

Recovered

(2003)

Reviewed by Tyler Baber

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Label Fugitive RecordingsDecapolisSeptember 2003

acoustic folk singer-songwriter

Picturing a young man with an acoustic guitar playing covers by some of the most well known singer-songwriters from the folk era at first reeks with cliché-ridden coffeehouse stereotypicality. Even when that young man is Denison Witmer, one of the indie community's best kept acoustic solo secrets, it is totally right to doubt that he can successfully pull off ten tracks of cover songs from the likes of Graham Nash, Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne and Neil Young to name a few. Surprisingly, though, Witmer's most recent release and debut for Fugitive Records, Recovered, is a success.

Witmer has already proved himself as a talented singer/songwriter in his own right, so a cover album isn't a cop out as much as it is an experiment. Playing songs he and so many others grew up on is a tribute more than it is an attempt for a quick, familiar mix tape ready track or two. Witmer's shy quietness helps his cause by leading the listener to believe this isn't a cry for attention in any way, it's just his way of suggesting the listener should be more familiar with the back catalogue of Gram Parsons, Big Star, and the Band. Recovered is also a chance to try out new singing and musical styles for Witmer, as the album shows some of his most experimental vocalizations to date.

Take, for instance, his version of Carole King's classic "So Far Away." It would be impossible to improve upon this song, so rather than try something new with the song's form Witmer relies on his wavering voice to provide emotion as he crackles heartbrokenly over a simple beat and resonating note or two. This song is an exception for the album, in that it utilizes virtually no guitar whereas the rest of the album is driven as much by Witmer's guitar as it is by his voice.

Other standout tracks on the album include a country-roots take on Graham Nash's "Simple Man" and an admirable take on a little heard Neil Young track, "Love in Mind." Witmer's covers of Jackson Browne's "Farther on" and "These Days" are each brought to life again, although they like so many covers still lack the freshness of the original.

Remarkably, Witmer breaks cover-album stereotypes by not ruining a single song. Recovered is simple enough to keep any purist from crying out blasphemy and strong enough to persuade newcomers to hear more of the original musicians' works. In that respect, Witmer succeeds. Still, the album is neither Witmer's best nor the best these songs have sounded.

B-