 CD MUSIC REVIEW |
 by Karman Kregloe October 14, 2005 A two-woman folk rock group with perfect harmonies. The description might at first evoke the specter of the Indigo Girls, but the sound of the Divine MAGgees is all their own. With their first studio release, Love Me Like the Roses (2005), the MAGgees have produced a unique folk/rock/country hybrid that is sure to please new and old fans alike. The Divine MAGgees are Danielle Tibedo and Cregan Montague, who met in Boston and have been performing together since 2002. Their prior releases include two live albums, Way Back When (2002) and In the Meantime (2003), and their DVD Live at the 40 Watt (2004). In between CDs, the MAGgees have also found time to contribute their talents to charitable benefits, raising money for children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in India, and also for breast cancer awareness and support. According to the MAGgees official website, Tibedo comes from a family of professional jazz musicians and pursued rigorous musical training before earning a BFA in sculpture and pursuing graduate studies in performance art. Montague also sports an impressive musical background, studying violin and fiddle from an early age and performing internationally with the likes of folk rock hero Ani DiFranco and renowned Irish fiddler Martin Hayes. They take an openly spiritual approach to songwriting, as Montague explained in a recent interview with Face Magazine, "I believe that each song that is and will be already exists as an independent being. We tap into the energy of a song when the time is right, and through inspiration, intuition and craft, manifest that song into a physical life." The magic of their process comes through in their songs. Each track of Love Me Like the Roses evokes a distinctive mood, and all eleven songs are masterfully woven together to create a complex, melancholy, and dreamy CD. Freshly relocated to Asheville, North Carolina (adorable side note--Cregan and Danielle are married!), they have produced a cd that showcases their collective and considerable musical prowess. Themes on Roses range from romantic angst (Little Black Crow, Hole in the Wall), romantic fancy (Love Me Like the Roses and North Carolina), and good-old-fashioned existential unrest (the lovely Trouble). In each, Montague's haunting fiddle work and Tibedo's moody guitar licks convey a depth and urgency that put a new spin on classic heartaches. The CD closes with an unexpected gem, a lovely cover of Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine." Actually, calling it a cover doesn't really do the song justice. Artie Shaw had a hit with "Beguine" in 1938, recording it in the swing style popular in that era. But the MAGgees have re-imagined it completely. Theirs is a haunting love song with a quietly hypnotic arrangement reminiscent of some of Bryan Ferry's most lushly romantic solo work. The Divine MAGgees are touring now promoting their new CD, and I recommend seeing them live. I was lucky enough to catch one of a series of gigs in Los Angeles and can tell you that both are skilled musicians with charm to spare. Their onstage chemistry makes for a great show. www.AfterEllen.com |
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