For someone so talented, it is a mystery that the truly excellent Corinne West has largely flown under the radar, and this despite getting rave reviews for her albums, a sublime mix of folk, country, and roots music, with occasional splashes of jazz and soul.
West was born in Claremont, California but left home at 15 by picking up a converted school bus with a guitar in her hand and tracked her way around California, playing with hard rock bands, before embarking on touring round the States and Canada, and later further afield. To earn a living she worked as a stonemason, restored biplane wings and opened a fine art business in metals and glass, where she met a blacksmith, who temporarily became her husband.
In 2004, at the age of 34, she released her debut album “Bound for the Living“, to highly positive reviews, and followed it with two more, “Second Sight” and “The Promise“, and by now the press were raving about her lush, haunting, sweet voice and her highly evocative songwriting. In 2020 a beautiful duet album with Kelly Joe Phelps, “Magnetic Skyline”, was widely acclaimed, and yet , and yet, any commercial success eluded her, much to the amazement of in-the-know press. The album was just her on acoustic guitar and Phelps on outstanding flat picking guitar (for an example take a listen to ‘River’s Fool’)
She took herself off to Austria for a sabbatical, writing songs but finding satisfaction in multi-media art projects – art prints, photo art, jewelry, functional art (think decorative firescreens). In 2015 she released “Starlight Highway“, once again to great acclaim. The album was more produced than the duet album with more session players, although Phelps played a significant part as co-writer, acoustic guitarist and lead and harmony vocalist. On an album of standout tracks, the opener ‘Trouble No More‘ is a beauty, with Phelps’ fine flatpicking, Marshall’s lovely mandolin, Fataar’s slick brushes and John Burr’s organ lending an intricate backdrop to West and Phelps’ voices when they alternate leads or harmonise.
Many of West’s songs (and those written with Phelps) use nature or travel for metaphors for life’s ups and downs, and often reflect her travels, physically and emotionally. This one was written in 2011 in the aftermath of their duet album – the impression given is that life is difficult but it is good so ” lean back… trouble no more”. The chorus is a joy “traipse the forest laughing / skipping stones / on heaven’s back river / softly calling / waiting for you to come back / all the embers glowing on the right side of the track”. The verse lyrics reflect her previous troubled times – “worrying mind / leaves you cold on the wrong side of time” or “whittle away / at the grievous stone that keeps your heart at bay” but each verse ends with “trouble no more / ooh the sky is indifferent to the score” before the chorus kicks in. It sets the tone and frames the narrative for the remainder of the album which I urge you to seek out. Or take a listen to her back catalogue.
It seems that West does not tour any more and has made no albums since “Starlight Highway“. There is no indication as to why that is, but she writes extensively (songs and poems), she works at her multi-media art forms and she winters as an Artist in Residence at Joshua Tree every year and there has been a 4-song EP “Through Not Around” that speaks to issues of mental and emotional health. But ten years or more is a long time to wait for a new album from one of the most talented (lyrically) and welcoming (vocally) singer-songwriters of her generation. (I feel as if I am in another of our Features!)
