A Review of the CD
"Secret Anniversaries"
by Jeff Talmadge

This review is written by Kevin McCarthy, 4/99
"Kevin and Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews"
http://www.icogitate.com/~celticfolkmusic/index.html
mailto:celticfolkmusic@icogitate.com

Holding on, letting go, wishing to go back and change things, desiring to start afresh. Texas-based Jeff Talmadge's latest release, save for one instrumental, focuses on the capriciousness of human relationships and the emotional ties remaining despite the severing of the physical. Talmadge paints down-to-earth portraits on a verisimilar palette of souls on the run from pain and failure, adrift, longing and searching for something better.

With a slight drawl, his sensitive, peaceful voice intensifies the feelings etched in his music, as his persona reflects the "everyday person" in the crucible of life. Beth Galiger's flute work and Gene Elders' violin touches aid immensely in capturing the poignancy of this collection of songs.

Talmadge opens with the title cut "Secret Anniversaries," backed by Galiger's affecting flute. Delving into the dates and moments of life that etch meaning into the tapestry of our lives, he sings:

"The holiest of holidays
Are the ones we keep apart
In silence and all by ourselves
Anniversaries of the heart..."

"...There are secret anniversaries
The ones noobdy knows
A private, quiet memory
That comes more than it goes
That comes more than it goes..."

"...A presence hides above the lights
A phantom of the living
It knows the secret days and nights
The meaning of forgiving
The meaning of forgiving..."

"...Twenty years from now I wonder if they'll wonder
About the day that train pulled out of sight
And that some evening, 'neath the wind and rolling thunder
They'll finally hear the music of the night..."

"...There are evenings when the wind plays like an orchestra
There are mornings when the water looks like glass
There are moments you know will never come again
So hold on to the things you love
They're all that's gonna last
Hold on to the things you love
They're all that's gonna last
Hold on..."

"...And if you wonder if they miss these days, they do
Did anything he say to her get through
Was anything she told him back then true?...

All she said and didn't say
Was ringing in his ears
He thought he understood her hopes
But he didn't know her fears...

It's such a costly choice
To take the easy road
Choosing between her head and heart
Shouldn't mean giving up her soul..."

"...It's not so much the things you hear
As the spaces in between
In an empty place
There are things you've never seen
I've never heard that train before
Though it goes by every night
And you'll never see the dark
Till you've know the light..."

"...And it seems kind of funny now
After it all
That all our dreams could be held
In a space so small...

Going through these things
Is like stepping in a river
Their meaning changes day to day
With the heart of the giver...

It's just a box
It's only stuff
But it's proof that sometimes even love
Is not enough..."

This is a intimate, tender, straightforward collection of stories, lovingly composed by someone who obviously knows his way around words. It may take a couple of listenings to fall under Talmadge's lyrical spell, but this is a CD that gathers momentum with each playing and is well worth giving it that time.

Talmadge on guitar and vocals is assisted by Beth Galiger on flute and backup vocals; Gene Elders on violin; Jeff Bramlett, Larry Seyer and Brian Wood on guitar; Peter Kempter and Fran Kammerdiener on cello; Spencer Starnes on upright acoustic bass; Glenn Fukunaga on fretless electric bass; Chris Scarles on percussion and drums; and Freddie Krc on drums.

Track List:

• Secret Anniversaries (5:17)
• She Will Not Save You (4:09)
• Hold On (4:00)
• Midnight Flight (3:00)
• Choices (3:49)
• Train Sounds Like Tomorrow (4:16)
• Monmouth County (3:32))
• Here's A Letter That You Can't Send Back (4:19))
• A Space So Small (4:19)
• Adeline (3:53)

Copyright © 1998-2008 Kevin & Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews. All rights reserved.

Ownership, copyright and title of this folk music CD review belongs to me, Kevin McCarthy. Ownership, copyright and title are not transferable or assignable to you or other parties regardless of how or if you or other parties use, copy, save, backup, store, retrieve, transmit, display, publish, modify or share the CD review in whole or in part. Please read the "Terms, Conditions and Disclaimer" section on my web site for additional information about using, quoting, or reprinting this CD review.

Send inquiries to: celticfolkmusic@icogitate.com.

Return to Kevin and Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews home page.

To return to the last web page you visited, click the "Back" button that appears immediately below: