Devon Sproule
Long Sleeve Story
© 2000 Devon Sproule (791022183320)
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
Devon Sproule delivers with Country twang, blues moods and more grit than you can find in a sand pit. Hear the artist before she hit twenty-years-old and mellowed out.
tracks
- 1 25 Mph
- 2 Sleep Satisfied
- 3 What I'm Used To
- 4 Fast Statue
- 5 Better at Night
- 6 Keep Light
- 7 Way Up There
- 8 She's Not Here
- 9 Let Me In On It
- 10 Long Sleeve Story
- 11 Swamp Love
- 12 Bird Feeder
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notes
On September 7, 2001, The Village Voice welcomed Devon Sproule to New York, hailing her as "a transformed female folkie" and announcing the release of her second CD. This sophomore effort, Devon's "Long Sleeve Story" (Three Word Records) was produced by Stefan Lessard (DMB), engineered by Ryan Nichols, and featured a host of Charlottesville's finest musicians including the legendary jazz trumpeter John D'earth (Miles Davis; Bruce Hornsby).
Long Sleeve Stories:
The female-folk genre is often a big old yawn, especially when they mix it up with some (usually generic Ani-like) rock. "Long Sleeve Story" presents this transformed female folkie with a ferocious backing band. Her melodic ambitions bring to mind Bjork, and her forays into the dark, Michelle Shocked... (Bosler)
-Village Voice
September 11, 2001
Touring to support her forcoming release, "Long Sleeve Story," produced by Stefan Lessard of the Dave Matthews Band, Devon Sproule has noteworthy guitar chops and an undeniably soulful vocal sensibility.
-The New Yorker Magazine
April 16, 2001
"...refreshingly inventive and unpredictable. Devon Sproule's lyrics are some of the better I've heard in quite some time and her guitar arrangements show scant trace of a folky cookie cutter."
-Cville Weekly
September 9, 2002
"Devon Sproule is strange, but in a good way. Her choice of covers and the lyrics to her originals make me wonder where this girl is coming from. Wherever it is, I wish I was from there, too. To see someone so deep and so young is scary. The potential is here for something big, real big."
-Richmond Music Journal
May 5, 1999
reviews
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Outstanding!!
author: Ernest Dobson - EnglandI saw Devon Sproule at my local music venue in England and was knocked out by the total musicality of her performance. Not only is she a brilliant composer/singer with a very disntinctive sound, she is also an excellent, confident, performer. Buy the album but, if you get the chance, go see her live. A live album would be great.
A musical treasure!!!
author: Jordan S.Let's face it with all the Britney wannabes out there Devon Sproule is a Godsend. Her beautiful voice and soothing guitar are a blessing to today's musical world. She really deserves your attention. Buy this cd!
One to make you sit up and take notice
author: Ed GoodsteinSproule reveals a tough side here, but it's still approachable & sensitive, and very 'musical' delicacy even on the more rock sounding numbers. I probably just prefer her 'quieter' & less bleak UPSTATE SONGS, but really both sides of her musical personality are strong. And she's only about 21. Wow.
at the front of my collection
author: KatrinaI bought this CD after seeing Devon perform last August at the permotion of her new CD that's available for purchse now. I fell instantly in love with the wide range of personality found on this mix. It's held its place at the front of my collection of CD's for the past year now. It's the best CD to relate to, because there's something in there for any mood. I personally like to pop it in weekly, if not daily, because it's something that I just love to mellow out to. You should definately buy Devon's music, and just give it a chance. I've introduced Devon to a number of friends and they all have added her to their collections as well. It's a definate must have for anyone who is looking for good music.
it started here!!
author: FedraI treasure this record. Not only is it full of great songs, but it's full of great energy. Here is a slightly younger Devon Sproule, slightly more innocent perhaps, slightly less worldly maybe, singing her heart out (and rocking her tail off at times). You can hear that she believes in what she's doing from note number one, as she should. There is zero hesitation in her versatile vocal delivery or second guessing of the big production. She was diving straight in, searching. "Upstate Songs," the record after this, shows her having found whatever she was looking for (and then some.) It is truly Awesome. The first youthful sparks of that fire can be clearly heard here in the rocking "Long sleeve Story." I imagine she's got an artistically remarkable road ahead of her. I'm so thankful I'll get to listen to it.
it started here!!
author: FedraI treasure this record. Not only is it full of great songs, but it's full of great energy. Here is a slightly younger Devon Sproule, slightly more innocent perhaps, slightly less worldly maybe, singing her heart out (and rocking her tail off at times). You can hear that she believes in what she's doing from note number one, as she should. There is zero hesitation in her versatile vocal delivery or second guessing of the big production. She was diving straight in, searching. "Upstate Songs," the record after this, shows her having found whatever she was looking for (and then some.) It is truly Awesome. The first youthful sparks of that fire can be clearly heard here in the rocking "Long sleeve Story." I imagine she's got an artistically remarkable road ahead of her. I'm so thankful I'll get to listen to it.
- author: Daniel Dellinger
I've come across few records that dive headlong so ambitiously. "Long Sleeve Story" is loaded with seemingly spur-of-the-moment decisions -- the landscape of notes Devon hits; the production that seemlessly (and sensibly) jumps from jazz to rock to folk to quirk; the bumps, bruises and gorgeous blemishes that were left standing. Quite simply, Devon Sproule makes no excuses here, plays instinctively -- almost laughing -- and bullseyes with remarkable consistency. I can't say enough about this artist: guitar-laden, lyrically sparkling, and with a voice capable of a expressing an ocean of emotional range, Devon Sproule hasn't got it in her to stop. 2001's "Long Sleeve Story" marked the first chapter in my discovering her music. Little did I know what was to come!
I wonder what'll come next from Devon Sproule
author: the owlI ordered Long Sleeve Story on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. Some of the songs fall a bit short, but the ones that really shine (25mph, Fast Statue, What I'm Used To, the title track, and a couple others) more than make up for it. And c'mon, she was only in her teens when she cut this record, which makes the whole thing even more remarkable as the lyrics are, for the most part, way beyond her years and the music consistantly interesting and evolving. The production and arrangements are stunning -- a very spacious and atmospheric sound. I listened to a little of Devon's new offerings from her website as well and I'm excited to hear what comes next; she is going to really stun a lot of folks in her career -- in fact she's already started to.
Born to keep running
author: Laura LiebelThis record is like a steamroller! It just slams past anything in its path, and it does so really beautifully. The reason it does it so beautifully is neither the smart production nor the wonderful merging of the players. The credit belongs entirely to Devon! Her voice is truly versatile, her guitar playing is great (I bet it will come into the spotlight even more in future albums), and she's got some crafty sensibilities for songwriting. "Long Sleeve Story" is an inspired effort from a young woman who instantly knocks all of the other "shows-promise" artists clear out of the running. Her music sounds sprung from someone born to make music.
Pay attention, both men and women!
author: Rochelle HopeI hate to do this, but I have to make a generalization. Now I'm a fan of a good number of female singer-songwriters... smooth, soaring voices, often delicately arranged. Sensitive stuff! I KNOW it's unfair to type-cast an entire sex of acoustic songwriters, but like I said, I must. If I were to have a criticism, it would be that these folky women simply aren't bold enough. Or maybe it's that they aren't -- excuse me -- ballsey enough! But Devon's music is an enormous exception. Not only does she display more than admirable guitar skills, but her vocals skip daringly from note to note, dart from scream to falsetto, literally almost howling at times. Just listen to the last two songs! How wonderful that an artist can jump from the edgey "Swamp Love" to the heartful "Birdfeeder," and make it work! "Long Sleeved Story" is fantastic. It's as bold a record as I've heard from anyone, man or woman, in a long time.
more than mere craft, a first rate artist
author: Mike BarkerThis is a fabulous CD by a special artist. She rocks quite a bit with a full band here, unlike her live performances nowadays where it's mostly just Devon and her Martin. This CD is also a bit more energetic than her first release, which also belongs in your collection. The disc is well produced with just the right instrumentation in just the right places. There ain't a bad tune on the CD, and Bird Feeder in particular is a little masterpiece of dynamics and building tension. I must say however that no CD can match the beauty of Devon live and solo. This is a gal in full control of her music and sound, in both her guitar playing and voice. She works the guitar with grace and dynamics, and her voice hits the notes just off center and moves them around in a manner heard in jazz but not often in AAA pop. Devon has a special gift. There are a lot of talented writers and performers producing good songwriting craft out there, but Devon is more than a mere craftsman --- she's an artist of the first order. Catch her on her two CDs and live when she comes near your town.
What a wonderful surprise
author: Alexander WilliamsI happily picked up this young woman's disc after seeing her perform in Vermont. I'd come to see Paul Curreri, a musician who is only predictable in that he'll give a mind-blowing performance every night. But Devon Sproule matched him every step of the way -- even when playing together on stage -- not by replication (which would be natural for someone her age), but through her angel voice, adventurous guitar playing, and tasteful, original, and ambitious lyrics. "Long Sleeve Story" is certainly a much LARGER sound than I heard that night, complete with band, horns, trains, and even some indian sort of drumming. A purist at heart, I buckled down. But very slowly, I came to realize, and I ungritted my teeth... it was great. It is great. The record drips with energy and clutched emotion and perhaps most important: honesty. I believe her. Four stars.