Border crossing with Laurie Levine

However, if it’s not properly managed, especially in music, the end result could be a jarring jangle of egos, voices, and musical instruments all dissolving into a painful parody of music.

Happily, Laurie Levine‘s new, and fourth offering, is none of those things. It’s cool, smooth, and flows over the jagged edges of a rough day. Layered and rich, Border Crossing is a definite step into a lighter space for the oft introspective musician. The bonus is that the Johannesburg artist remains true to her folk roots so fans won’t be disappointed, but this album should garner more than a few new listeners.

The voices of local backing artists, who are songbirds in their own right, blend seamlessly with Levine’s. Close your eyes while you’re listening: it’s as if the band is in the room with you, playing for your pleasure. Part of the new experience is due to mixing maestro Dan Roberts, who has travelled a long road with Levine. Indeed, he was awarded Best Producer by the South African Music Awards in 2012 for her previous album, Six Winters.

Listening to the album with Levine and Roberts at his Stoep Studio, it was difficult to keep up with the free-flowing patter as the two talked about their experiences of recording the album. Roberts had the band setting up in different corners of his house to bring a different life to the music. For Levine, working with new musicians made all the difference to this album, as it would.

A perfect way to end this is by drawing loosely from the blurb for Levine’s quote. To wit: “I discovered the beauty of what happens when you bring together musicians with very different styles and backgrounds. It’s a hoedown in a shed filled with trumpets, tambourines, banjos and guitars with voices of folk, soul, and rock and roll.”

Border Control will be available in all good music stores in September.