May 19, 2013
Flirtation
continued
Serrapere is an utterly convincing songwriter, and the quartet moves subtly from acoustic blues to swing, through Delta blues and old-timey ballads. Threading it all together is Serrapere's magnificent voice. It's subtle, smug, assured, and disarming. Her ballad "I Will" is heartbreakingly beautiful. Serrapere layers harmonica sadness over simple acoustic pickings, and Devine's bottleneck resonator guitar brings the twang to the torch. Her voice reaches into the atmosphere, clear and high, lingering above our heads.
| I lay here thirsty from the heat you never looked so good before now you've entered in my sleep don't want to wake no more there was a time I let the sun go down content with just livin' poor. It's not that I don't let my feelings go but you know me I never let it show but I will . . . Lord I will take the risk and hold you in my kiss and I will be your girl. |
Between songs, Serrapere and Devine banter comfortably, like best buddies. Her songs cover a wide range of topics, but my favorites are the ones about being happily smitten. It's easy to see why she's so good at it — she and Devine are obviously smitten with each other.
After the show I ask how they met. A mutual friend introduced them when Serrapere was having hand problems. They performed as a duo for four years. "I dated someone else in the meantime," she says. "That didn't work out. Johnny and I realized ... It was like, you know, you're my family. I looked at him one day and said, 'Oh my God, I love you.'
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