Some singer-songwriters spin intricate creations from little more than their voice and guitar. Such is the case with Baltimore-based Lisa Cerbone, whose Nowhere I Have Ever Been seemingly billows in the wind. It possesses a fragile beauty, a fragile strength, resonating like the treasures I unearthed in the mid-’80s, when I spun folk records on my college radio station, and a few years ago, when Philly folksinger Maggie Pope captivated me with her sparse gems—or at any point before, between or after those (admittedly hazy) dates. Inspired by family lore, Cerbone’s nine songs are quiet yet compelling, hushed yet hypnotic. Don’t be surprised if their echoes percolate through the mind when fading into or out of sleep; they have for me these past few days, at any rate.
Timelessness is found in simplicity, I think. Nowhere I Have Ever Been is primarily Cerbone and her guitar, with gentle support provided by Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek (background vocals, guitars, bells, percussion) and Scott MacPherson (drums). A good example is “The Missing Year,” which was inspired by her grandmother, who lost her mother to the Spanish flu in 1919. We tend to think that our “modern” experiences are unique to us when, in truth, our forebears faced similar trials and tribulations. From pandemics to war, economic misfortunes to political tumult, life’s constants and constraints play out generation after generation. Places and faces change, technology advances, but the grist of life remains remarkably the same.
“Pretend Like You Belong” is another example. It recalls excursions from Cerbone’s youth, when money was tight—as it is for many now. In her case, her mom sometimes took her on getaways to the Poconos, where they blended in with resort-goers for the day.
The take on ELO’s hook-laden “Can’t Get It Out of My Head” is another treat. It turns what I’ve always heard as a syrupy tune into a stripped-down delight reminiscent of Mary Lou Lord’s covers of classic songs on Live City Sounds.
Incidentally, after pursuing her dream in the 1990s and 2000s, Cerbone took more than a decade off to raise a child and, too, to pursue a Master’s degree; she now teaches English as a second language to students at a seminary. Yet, though not on the public stage, music and songwriting remained a constant through those years. So I’ll end where I began: Some singer-songwriters spin intricate creations from little more than their voice and guitar. Lisa Cerbone is one. Nowhere I Have Ever Been is a wonderful album well worth one’s time.
The Old Grey Cat 