Wild Carrot an Original
Folk duo’s own songs give “Hope” its signature sound
The Cincinnati Enquirer – Disc ‘n’ Dat, Friday, April 11, 2003

WILD CARROT
Hope
Falling Mountain; $14.98
3 Stars (of 4)

The duo of Pam Temple and Spencer Funk, mainstays of the local folk scene (Temple also hosts WNKU-FM’s evening programming), move several steps ahead on their second CD. Temple wrote 10 of the albums’ 13 songs, two with Funk. The title song is a couple of Emily Dickinson poems Temple set to music.

The result is a diverse set that never strays from its folk roots and old-school singer/songwriting.

The first two tracks, “Real Love” and “Bitter Blood”, have an Appalachian ballad feel that casts Temple as a softer Gillian Welch. But when it seems like wild carrot has gone O Brother, Temple delivers the elegiac memoir of working for the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, “Bringing on the Rain”.

“Tracks” features beautiful mandolin by Funk over Temple’s soaring Joni Mitchell/Joan Baez vocals. “Light Enough to Find My Way” sound like a folk hit – a beautiful memorable melody, hopeful lyrics and great back-up by Funk’s guitar and Brandt Smith’s dobro.

They also do a fine Calypso-tinged cover of the Leo Kottke/Rickie Lee Jones collaboration, “Running From Mercy”. But it’s the Temple originals that stand out, like the solemnly powerful love song, “Lay Me Down”.

Sunday at 7pm, wild carrot holds its CD release party at Leo Coffeehouse (321-8375) in Old St. George (42 Calhoun St., Clifton Heights, 751-5237, $2).

– Larry Nager