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Praise for Anthymn

Cosy Sheridan takes an interesting perspective on life. Drawing her inspiration from real life, her songs show a predilection for poking fun at life and finding a different way of viewing the same relationships. Her sixth album, Anthymn, is more of the same songwriting we've come to adore about Cosy.

Sheridan's funny songs rank up there with the best that Christine Lavin has written. It's not unusual that Sheridan has several funny songs on the album, but what is unusual is that she opens her album with two of them. This album also has a greater percentage of funny songs than any of her previous albums: five (or six, depending on how you want to count "Bikini on a Billboard") funny songs out of 12 total on "Anthymn." Sheridan spears SUVs, Barbie, PMS, body piercings, and trips to the women's bathroom.

Sheridan picks up where she left off on her album "Quietly Led" with "A Losing Game" on her new songs "Bikini on a Billboard" and "Barbie." "Bikini on a Billboard" portrays the objectification of women in advertising: "She's only 15 on the cover of a magazine. It's open season on the young and the lean. Come get what she's got while it's young and it's hot. How come little girls disappear out of parking lots?" "Barbie" imagines what it might be like if Barbie was a real woman, as someone who couldn't stand on her own two feet (literally).

Sheridan also submits her second in a series of songs addressing women's health concerns. Following up on her "Turboyeast" from "Saturn Return," she delivers "PMS": "It's a Fallopian foul-up made me the monster I am. It's a cervical situation, a tubal traffic jam." The final funny song is "Urban Assault Vehicle," which sounds a lot like Karen Savoca and Pete Heitzman. Sheridan is accompanied by only Kent Allyn's body percussion and his funky bass playing.

On the more serious side, "Demeter's Lost Daughter" has one of the best guitar riffs of the year. The song has an infectious, driving beat. It's a statement of being your own person, despite the rest of the world working against you.

"Oren's Song (Have Mercy We All Grow Old)" is dedicated to her neighbor Oren Moore. Despite having family in town who could visit him, Owen spends a lonely existence. Sheridan's song is a call to action. "Love is Thicker Than Water" is about her strained relationship with her brother and her attemtps to repair it. It contains the very poignant line, "Family is the one you keep on loving when it would be easier to love someone else."

Whether being humorous or very personal, Sheridan's songwriting is some of the best in contemporary folk. If you are not familiar with her music, Anthymn is an excellent introduction. Those who have her CDs will find Anthymn fitting comfortably right beside the rest of Sheridan's CD in your collection.

If I were going to throw an all-girl dinner party at which I wanted to laugh and cry from the hors d'oeuvres to the chocolate pudding, Cosy Sheridan is the first woman I'd invite. And if she were out of town, I'd make do by playing Ant Hymn really loud. From Barbie to bellies, SUVs, bathroom germs and broken hearts, Sheridan deals it all a grave smile. Over a cabaret piano, she lampoons (and laments) billboard bikini girls. With a fingerstyle guitar backdrop, she offers Dorothy advise on the yellow brick road. In all, her seasoned, expressive paints a sympathetically wry (and extremely musical) picture of this odd world we inhabit. (Wind River/Folk Era)

There are at least two types of folk singers that concern themselves with politics. The first type sings protest songs against wars, religious fanatics, and the World Trade Organization. The second type sings about broader social issues, like how advertising affects one's self-image and the pace of contemporary life. Cosy Sheridan falls into the second category, cheerfully expounding on PMS, body piercing, and Barbie dolls. The first cut, "Ladies' Room," is a happy tune about bathroom etiquette, and will serve as sort of a litmus test of whether the listener is really ready to look at the world through a woman's eyes. "Multiply Pierced" explores the joys of placing rings on a belly button that is connected to an ever expanding belly, while "Barbie" is a letter to Mattel with a few suggestions about how to make the popular doll into a real woman. Another standout is "Bikini on a Billboard," a humorous attack on how advertisers connect sexy, young girls with everything from beer to cars. As with her other satires, she makes her point through colorful, playful descriptions, not through preaching. Although Sheridan specializes in satire, she has also written a number of serious songs such as "Demeter's Lost Daughter" and "Dorothy and Eve." Both of these songs combine contemporary elements with ancient myths, creating unique points of view. It would be a shame if audiences viewed Anthymn as an album by a woman for other women. Surely it has a thing or two to teach male listeners, and besides, it's a fun album, rich with humor. For those who enjoy penetrating lyrics sang by a charming voice, Cosy Sheridan should be just the ticket.

"If a song is just a personal expression and no public service, I don't think it necessarily adds much to the planet. I want to be contributing on some level"

"She is now being recognized as one of the best new singer-songwriters in the United States"

"A Buddhist monk in a twelve-step program trapped in the body of a singer-songwriter"

"With her pointed lyrics and engaging style, Sheridan recalls Cheryl Wheeler or Mary-Chapin Carpenter --dead serious one moment, slyly grinning the next."

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