Review: Colour Green by Sibylle Baier

Colour Green by Sibylle Baier

My rating: 7 out of 10

                 Sibylle Baier didn’t make this music to be heard by the general public, her son released it more than 30 years after it was recorded).  She made this music for herself and those close to her. Her style of music is very personal folk; sparse musically and rich emotionally.  Every song but the last is just Baier and her guitar, making music that reaches down into her soul.  The stories that she tells always make the song worth listening to; “William must have a chorus in his heart and lilacs in his shoes/ William is the sweetest boy I ever saw.”- “William”

                All of the songs are very short; the entire album of 14 songs is only 33 minutes long.  Despite their brevity, the tracks pack powerful punches.  Here are the lyrics for “Remember the Day”-  “I no longer thought of what is good or what is not / there simply was the water’s smell and remoteness/ I only stood and watched that old cold ocean / in tender and bright, full, unspeakable emotion.”  The songs are not terribly different stylistically, but each one has its own tenderness.

                My girlfriend introduced me to Sybille Baier with the song, “I Lost Something in the Hills” because of the similarities to Nick Drake.  “Colour Green” certainly does remind me of the moving “Pink Moon.”  However, this album is not “Pink Moon”.  Sibylle Baier is a commendable song writer, but does not have the versatility of Nick Drake.  After a few songs, you know exactly what you can expect from the entire album.  I don’t mind that too much, but it can be tiring to listen to “Colour Green” all at once.  Overall, I am very happy that my girlfriend introduced me to Sibylle Baier and her potent music.

Favorite Tracks: I Lost Something in the Hills, William, Driving