Even Daedelus was surprised and while the remix version of Manzanita, called La Ninja: Amor And Other Dreams Of Manzanita is out now, don’t let that stop you investigating the marvellous ‘source material’ of the original album.

Classically trained, her voice has the crystal clarity of a Judy Dyble, for all her appearances on albums by our hip hop underground favourites like Keepintime: A Live Recording, With Voices (Ammoncontact) and the rest of the Dublab community, there’s definitely an acid folk feel to her work.

In fact, the opening track ‘The Way’, sounds as good as the more ‘psych’ tracks on the Fairport Companion CD. ‘The Last Night Of Winter’ and ‘What If We Do?’ are particularly Eighteenth Day Of May with cameos from Julie Carpenter (Cello/Violin), Slim Zwerling (Trumpet), Rob Campanella (Dulcimer); both tracks are current on her myspace site (see links below).

My absolute favourite is ‘My Room Is White’ with Dodd’s gentle acoustic guitar, Brent Rademaker (Piano) and the most subdued bongos you’re likely to encounter anywhere. “Are we going to give up or are we going to try to learn what life is?” Check out the video.

Mr Campanella and Mr. Rademaker not only co-produced the album with Ms. Todd, the multi-talented pair turn up on various instruments throughout the ten tracks.

The one that sticks out (sore thumb stylee) is the reggae track, ‘Casa Nova’, which has many of the musicians of The Echodelic Sounds Of Future Pigeon but Todd is at her most stunning on her solo performances like ‘Luna Lune’ and ‘I Gave You My Home’ (both with the classical guitar) and ‘Muscle, Bone & Blood’ (with Mia on piano).

Manzanita came out before the reissue of her debut album The Ewe And The Eye on City Zen Records. It was originally released in 1997, “in the traditions of Joni Mitchell and Vashti Bunyan”. Manzanita shows that Todd has lost none of her 60s type folk introspective lyrics over the intervening years. And with a voice of such purity, she would have been at home at the Festival Of Folk this month (at The Spitz).

A special album and like other Plug Researchers (AmmonContact, Daedelus and Busdriver) who have had to ‘transfer’ to Ninja Tune to become household favourites, I suspect it won’t be long before Mia gets the call to follow them.

Album cover photo by B+ (Brian Cross)

Reviewed: Mia Doi Todd - Manzanita (Plug Research) Cat. No. PLG 061 Released: 2005

Tracklisting:
1. The Way (5:16) Guitar - Jason Simon Guitar [Electric] - Rob Campanella Bass [1] - Brent Rademaker Bass [2] - Steve Kille Drums - Hunter Crowley (2)
2. What If We do? (3:37) with Drums - Rick Menck Dulcimer - Rob Campanella Guitar [Electric] - Chris Gunst Guitar [Lap Steel] - Neal Casal , Farmer Dave Scher
3. My Room Is White (4:16)
4. The Last Night Of Winter (6:39) with Percussion - Nelson Bragg Bass - Brent Rademaker Drums - Rick Menck Trumpet - Slim Zwerling Piano - Rob Campanella Cello, Violin - Julie Carpenter Guitar - Ben Knight
5. Muscle, Bone & Blood (3:56)
6. Casa Nova (3:02) with Trumpet - Slim Zwerling Saxophone - Liam Philpot Bass - Eddie Ruscha Piano, Organ - Danny Preston Guitar [Electric] - Jeff Cairns , Jason Mason Guitar [Acoustic] - Future Pigeon Percussion - Brandon Wells Drums - Lindsay Glover
7. Luna Lune (3:06)
8. Tongue-tied (2:07) Guitar - Brent Rademaker Mandolin - Rob Campanella
9. Deep At Sea (3:34) with Piano - Rob Campanella Drums - Hunter Crowley (2)
10. I Gave You My Home (3:05)

Links:
Mai Doi Todd @ MySpace www.myspace.com/miadoitodd
miadoitodd.com
Gilles Peterson WW Awards Part 2: WW All Star Selectors 2005 tracklisting 25.12.05:
Carlos Niño (Ammoncontact, Build An Ark, Hu Vibrational, The Life Force Trio)
TRACK CHOSEN: Mia Doi Todd & Adventure Time - ‘Amor’ (Plug Research)