Patty Larkin: 25 Songs, 25 Friends, 25 Years
Patty Larkin has been called a "contemplative songwriter" and a "whoop-ass guitarist." She also has a reputation for being "a musician's musician." Her new CD is titled 25, a reference to the number of fellow singer-songwriters who appear on it, as well as the number of years since her very first recording.
For these duets, Larkin and her guests collaborated a little differently. Instead of working together in a studio, Larkin recorded her voice and guitar tracks for each song on her own and then sent them to the different musicians. Then she told them that "they could do whatever they wanted."
Take "Beautiful." Larkin sent the files for that song to singer-songwriter and guitarist Erin McKeown.
"I opened them up and there was a standard sheet of paper that she sent to everyone," McKeown says. "At the bottom, it said, 'Here's 'Beautiful' for your voice.' That was it. And it was up to me to interpret that cryptic remark. So I kind of went crazy on it."
McKeown recorded herself singing the whole song. She recorded breathy, percussive vocal beats to add to the rhythm. She says the chorus "seemed to need something," so she added an organ part. McKeown figured anything Patty Larkin didn't like, she could take away.
But Larkin used everything. She says McKeown's embellishments highlighted what she herself was doing. Larkin says she had no idea McKeown even played keyboards.
There were other surprises. Martin Sexton whistled. Jonatha Brooke played toy piano.
A Sense Of Community
Larkin got the idea to invite guest artists last year at a time when she really needed her community. Her mother died in September.
"She was sick for about three months. I played songs for her and said, 'I'm going to get some friends to play with me.'" Larkin says her mom didn't want her to be alone. "She was my biggest fan. And I wanted to make her happy. So I said, 'I'm gonna call some people.' "
There were plenty of people Larkin — a veteran of the large but close-knit folk world — could call. Artists who appear on 25 include Rosanne Cash, Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega.
Open Songwriting
David Wilcox, a singer-songwriter based in Asheville, N.C., says Larkin gave him a choice which song of hers he could play on. He chose Larkin's bewitching love ballad, "Cranes." He says Larkin's hands-off approach made the collaboration more fun.
"I was asking Patty, 'Do you want to trade verses or do you want me to harmonize?' And she said, 'Do whatever you want,' " Wilcox says. "To have that kind of openness made you come to the song for answers."
None of these guest artists are strangers to Larkin: She's worked with every one of them in person. They've bumped into each other at clubs around the country and played on each other's albums. Larkin says her only regret is that it wasn't her 50th anniversary, because there were so many more of her friends she wanted to include.
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- 25 by Patty Larkin
STEVE INSKEEP, host:
Now let's get some education about music. We're going to learn more about the folk artist Patty Larkin, who's been called a contemplative songwriter and a whoop-ass guitarist. Larkin is also known as a musician's musician, and she got 25 of those musicians to play on her new CD, which is aptly called "25." It's also a reference to the number of years since Patty Larkin's very first recording. NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports.
ELIZABETH BLAIR: Patty Larkin and her guests collaborated a little differently for this album. Instead of working their duets out together in a studio, Larkin recorded her voice and guitar tracks for each song on her own and sent them to the different musicians - and she gave them total freedom.
Ms. PATTY LARKIN (Musician): They were able to do whatever they wanted.
BLAIR: For the song "Beautiful," Patty Larkin sent files to singer-songwriter and guitarist Erin McKeown.
Ms. ERIN MCKEOWN (Singer-Songwriter): I opened them up and there was a standard sheet of paper that she sent to everybody describing the project. And at the bottom, it said, here's "Beautiful" for your voice. And that was it. And it was up to me to interpret that cryptic remark. So I just kind of went crazy on it.
(Soundbite of laughter)
(Soundbite of song, "Beautiful")
Ms. MCKEOWN and Ms. LARKIN: (Singing) We're walking in the park. It was not the zoo, I know.
Ms. LARKIN: Erin McKeown on "Beautiful," she just sings all the way through with me and she does her own thing.
Ms. MCKEOWN: I thought, oh the chorus needs something, so I'll just an organ, no big deal. She can take it away if she doesnt like it.
Ms. LARKIN: And then she highlights what I'm doing and she plays Hammond B3 and piano. I just - I had no idea she played keyboards.
(Soundbite of song, "Beautiful")
Ms. MCKEOWN and Ms. LARKIN: (Singing) You look beautiful. You look beautiful. You look beautiful. You look beautiful. You look beautiful.
BLAIR: Patty Larkin says there were other surprises - Martin Sexton whistled, Jonathan Brooke played toy piano.
Larkin got the idea to invite guest artists last year, at a time when she really needed her community. Her mother passed away last fall.
Ms. LARKIN: She was sick for about three months but she passed away in September. And I remember playing some of these songs for her as she lay dying and saying, you know, mom, I'm going to get some friends to play with me on these songs. And oh, remember this one and I was kind of pulling out songs from my first albums and newer ones as well.
BLAIR: Larkin says her mom didn't want her to be alone.
BLAIR: She was my biggest fan. And I wanted to make her happy. Like, I'm going be okay. Like, I'm going call somebody. I'm not sure who I'm going to call but I'm going to call some people.
(Soundbite of laughter)
Ms. LARKIN: I know a couple people.
BLAIR: Another one of those people was David Wilcox, a singer-songwriter based in Asheville, North Carolina. Patty Larkin gave him a choice - which song of hers he could play on.
Mr. DAVID WILCOX (Singer-songwriter): I think Patty sent maybe three that she thought would really work well with my voice.
BLAIR: Wilcox settled on the song "Cranes."
(Soundbite of song, "Cranes")
Ms. LARKIN: (Singing) On their wings they are turning. On their wings they fly. Shadows fade, the sun is burning high.
Mr. WILCOX: I was asking, so, do you want to, like, trade verses? Do you want it to just be harmony? She said, whatever you want. And it was so fun to have that kind of openness because it makes you come to the song for your answers.
(Soundbite of song, "Cranes")
Ms. LARKIN and Mr. WILCOX: (Singing) And only love can heal the yearning. Only loves knows why. Only love the color of your eyes.
BLAIR: The folk music world is pretty big and very connected. Patty Larkin has worked, in person, with all 25 of the artists on her new CD. They've bumped into each other at clubs around the country or played on each other's albums.
Ms. LARKIN: Somewhere I found the strength, probably from my mom, you know? I found the strength to be able to ask people to join me.
BLAIR: Patty Larkin says her only regret is that it wasn't her 50th anniversary, since there were so many more of her friends she wanted to include.
Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.
INSKEEP: And you can hear some of the songs from Patty Larkin's album with Martin Sexton, Erin McKeown and David Wilcox, at nprmusic.org.
(Soundbite of music)
INSKEEP: Youre listening to MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
