The Top 10 Albums of 2009 - #8 Go Easy Little Doves by Brooke Waggoner

Go Easy Little Doves is not the same as Brooke Waggoner's other two releases: Heal for the Honey and Fresh Pair of Eyes. It is not as whimsical. There are not as many virtuoso piano riffs and solos. That being said, it is no less brilliant, though it may take some more time to grow on listeners - Brooke fans will probably connect with it immediately. Go Easy Little Doves is slower and quieter than its predecessors creating a pensive and tranquil mood - some of the songs evoke feelings of movie soundtracks, like "Meek; Wild"and "Wish for Bridges". Where Brooke primarily used piano parts to carry the melody in Heal for the Honey, in her latest album Brooke expertly arranges stringed instruments for the main melody and the piano is used as an accompaniment or embellishment to specific parts.

One of my favorite songs, "Find Her Floods", begins with two violins, one playing a smooth, fluid line, the other plucking the song's rhythm. Brooke begins singing. Eventually the staccato violin transforms into a rhythm of cascading triplets. It's enthralling and the sort of ingenuous songwriting that makes Go Easy Little Doves a fantastic listen like all of her albums. I had the wonderful pleasure of seeing Brooke perform this year at the Service Station in Spokane and meeting her afterward. She was impressive on stage and humble in person, just the type of musician I like to meet. Her short discography has already made me a lifelong fan and I eagerly await her next masterful songwriting.