 Singer/Songwriter
Anne Trenning: Watching for Rain
(© 2009 Shade Tree Productions)
My first recommendation is to lay back and let the music of Anne Trenning wash over you. I first listened to this new CD Watching for Rain while at anchor in my old wooden boat. The rain was falling lightly from the passing thunderstorms. The mood and setting couldn’t have been better. This third CD
from Trenning is expertly arranged and produced. Rick Dior takes the credit there, but it would be nothing without the rock solid talent Anne brings to the project. Trenning is known for the emotional landscapes she creates. She began exploring those emotional landscapes on her first album, Suite Tea. That recording also evoked water imagery with the original composition “Where Rivers Run” as well as a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “The Rain Song.” Trenning’s second album, All One World, promoted her belief in global peace, love, and friendship, but also addressed personal challenge (“Walking Through My Tears”) as well as willingness to reach out (the traditional “Give Me Your Hand”). Watching for Rain contains ten originals plus the Welsh folk melody “The Ash Grove,” the traditional spiritual “I Want To Be Ready,” the modern gospel “H. I. A. T. W.,” the Don Schlitz-Paul Overstreet country classic “When You Say Nothing At All” and a 37-second benediction-like coda of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released.” Trenning also offers a new arrangement of the Celtic-spirited “Eden Hall” that originally appeared on her first recording. Trenning, like most musicians, knows where her music comes from. For some of the melodic phrases in her original compositions are freely borrowed from others. Woven into the fabric of her songs, they all rest comfortably and seamlessly. This is a very fine work by an aware and competent musician. Her message speaks clearly in her works. Aware that the simplest things can have great meaning, Trenning titled her third recording Watching for Rain, as a metaphor indicating a time of hopeful anticipation. “As our world continues to face the challenges of economy, war and the environment, we find ourselves looking toward new opportunities, for rain to come and refresh the earth, and for growth and positive change to occur. Trenning lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Matthew Moeller) |
