I don't often get to listen to much in the way of music that falls within the narrow confines of the Americana genre so it made a nice change to aim my every hungry and permanently discontented ears towards “Some Seek Silver, Some Seek Gold” by Elaine Palmer.
Taking a wild guess after listening to these seven songs, Elaine Palmer has been doing this kind of thing for a while. Her songs have the unmistakeable stamp of maturity and, whilst she stays always within the rose tinted dustbowl expected of all practiced practitioners of the musical nirvana that is Americana, she has the poise to make even the sentimentality and melodramatic introspection seem less maudlin and, yes, more inspirational than most can manage. This is, if you like, an album that is a soundtrack to a life less ordinary.
Realism is often key in this genre. Poetry has little place in a world based on blue collar expectations and it is to Elaine Palmer’s credit that she is never less than convincing in telling her time honoured tales and, with a bit of musical muscle helping her out with motive power, this album was never going to get stuck in the mud of mediocrity.