The Use of Ashes

For their second outing, worked primarily with Nashville-based musicians, including a small orchestra who provide a stately feel to the highly intimate nature of the material. According to , the songs were written while he and his wife were living in the Netherlands, which said contributed significantly to the air of romanticism throughout. opens the album with an exquisite tale that exemplifies 's remarkable abilities to draw upon disparate metaphors such as shining coins and worshiping God, both involving the -- hence the title. The rural mood created by the notable Music City USA stalwarts effortlessly fuses with ' -flavored harpsichord on the delicate featuring and spouse on non-verbal vocalizations as they "da-da-da" the melody. Although predates the cut by a couple of years, cites it as his inspiration for the lyrics behind 's 1972 Top Ten hit. The words are credited as having been influenced by a novella that dealt with the universal emotion of loss. Again, ' keyboard runs relate the story with subdued refinement. By contrast, is one of the more amplified inclusions, making good use of session heavies (drums) and (guitar), especially when placed against the restrained string section. Another sonic texture in the tapestry is the jazzy shimmering with an uncredited vibraphone lead gliding beneath 's whimsical lines. These tracks are offset by the noir the ethereal love song and the mid-tempo retelling of the a ship whose 4,000 inhabitants perished during World War II. 's juxtaposition of stark imagery reveals that while might not have continued the bombastic direction set about on their earlier protest works or they maintained social and political relevance. ~ Lindsay Planer