Linda Draper, Keepsake

reviewed by dave heaton

Singer/songwriter Linda Draper’s fifth LP continues in the same path as the others: soft folk songs with a quiet glow about them. Her lovely voice is given minimal arrangements of guitar, piano, some bass, some percussion, and occasionally something else, always delicately added. Lyrically some of the songs (“Kissing the Grand”, “Too Late”) veer too near cliché for my tastes, but there are other songs where the expected route isn’t where it goes. Opener “Shine” introduces an unrequited love but also has uncaring stars and clocks watching the humans go through the predictable up and down cycles of relationships. Still, the purity of the lover’s initial feelings makes its impact: “Even when you’re no longer around / my love for you will be the softest sound.” As with the lyrics, while the melodies of some songs blur together in a pleasant but indistinct way, there’s other moments with the power to stop time. Chief among them is the final track, a riveting cover of Rick Nelson’s “How Long”. Draper’s singing of it is especially light but mysterious, ensuring the song will linger on.

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