Closing my eyes while listening to singer/songwriter Erica Wheeler’s newest offering, Good Summer Rain, I was instantly transported to various outposts in the backcountry of America. “Endless Pines” evokes images of the cold, unforgiving north; “Muddy Waters” tells the tale of a couple escaping a rising flood that threatens to destroy their home situated in a nameless Valley; and “Elk Song” speaks of, well, elk, gathering on the plains of Montana.
Wheeler’s expert songwriting is surpassed only by her emotive voice. She has the ability to convey a myriad of emotions—sadness, love, exuberance, resignation–within a single song.
While roots Americana folk may not be everyone’s cup of tea, this CD is surely worth a listen. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather listen to after a lazy summer afternoon, sitting on the back porch drinking lemonade and watching the fireflies play.
