Baby

VINYL FORMAT. Bosque Brown have been quietly working on their sophomore full-length with producer Chris Flemmons (Baptist Generals). A dramatic step forward from their debut, Plays Mara Lee Miller, Baby features a fuller sound and more expansive instrumentation. Where Mara Lee was recorded in a few short days with relatively few takes, Baby benefits from the band's ability to record closer to home, allowing them to take as much time as necessary. Baby's rich musicianship reflects Bosque Brown's increasing stature as a live band. The group took their time to find the right sounds - adding things in, taking things away, letting the songs grow under Flemmons' watchful guidance.

As always, Baby's chief strength lies in the vocals. Principal songwriter Mara Lee Miller's voice is frequently doubled with her sister Gina's, allowing for a richer, more textured sound. Drummer Winston Chapman and Flemmons, himself a longtime drummer, experimented with prepared drums, mic placements and various recording techniques to color the percussion. A cluster of a cappella tracks, treated with heavily-layered vocals and echoing reverberation, borrow from the sacred harp tradition, and are arranged to break the record into four segments. Lush, soaring keyboards, organs and pedal steel blend with varying rhythms. Flemmons' production techniques effortlessly capture both the intimacy and expanse of his home recording space.