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The Farm Couple
(Monica Taylor & Patrick Williams)
Fertile Ground
by Bonny Holder
 Here's a letter from
Monica Taylor, of The Farm Couple, printed on the inside cover
of their new CD, Fertile Ground:
Howdy, Farmhands! We're so glad to get this little crop
of tunes into the hands of those who encourage us and come out
to see us. Drop me a line if you aren't on our e-mail list...you'll
get a monthly entry from The Farm Couple Journal. We thank our
Heavenly Father for all His blessings, and for this great country
that we live in...hope you do the same, friends!
Here are 12 tunes that we played with our good friend Don
Morris (on bass) one evening in the Fall of 2002 down in Tahlequah,
OK at Jeff Parker's Cimmaron Sound Lab. We all played at one
time around a couple of microphones. From the Woody Guthrie song
to Bill Erickson's tune to our song entitled "Young Mother"
about the photograph taken by Dorthea Lange called "The
Migrant Mother."..you can hear our deep Oklahoma roots.
To Patrick and I, the words "Red Dirt" describe the
'grit' of a story that's been passed down in an Oklahoma family...and
sometimes it's been put into the form of a song. Just like the
red clay that our relatives had to dig, plant, and live in, our
music is rooted firmly in Oklahoma. This state has been Fertile
Ground for so many folks. The country and gospel sounds...that's
us The Farm Couple.
Love ya'll Monica & Patrick
Rural Oklahoma's Farm Couple are the antithesis of the Nashville
country music scene. There is nothing about these two good-lookin'
Cherokee musicians that suggests glitter, money, fame, drugs,
debauchery, unwholesome sex, or evildoing. Their songs are family-friendly,
yet thoughtful. Their voices are more than pleasant, but not
showy. Their playing (and that of their "hired hand",
bassist Don Morris) is unembellished but at the same time, impressive.
When I review music, I always try to think of the "worst
thing a reviewer could say" about each album project. In
the case of Fertile Ground, I think someone less appreciative
than I might, just might, think that the Farm Couple are, well,
a little corny. Then I found this passage in an old book I have
called Corn Country by the amazing Homer Croy. He wrote, in 1947:
Corn! It is truly a wonder crop. I can think of no other
that yields so much for so little. Under favorable conditions
it will hand back five hundred times the amount planted. In other
words, a grain of corn will produce five hundred other grains.
Nor does it take much "cultivation." Plow it three
times and it's as happy as a dog patted on the head.
 Using Croy's words,
the Farm Couple are corny, indeed. They meet each song head on
and present it with wit and dignity. Their selection on this
CD includes the classic Carter family song, "Keep On The
Sunny Side"; a delightful rendition of "Grandfather's
Clock" (remember that one?); The Louvin Brothers' "Are
You Afraid To Die?"; and Woody & Billy Bragg's haunting
song, "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key." (Right:
[L-R]Bonny Holder, Patrick Williams, and Monica Taylor)
Newer songs are represented by Bob Childers' "Mexican Morning";
Bill Erickson's "Feelin' That Makes Us Roam," and Dave
Hanner's "Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good."
The duo's originals are every bit as good as their covers. Patrick
Williams' "Down Here On The Farm" is evocative of a
sleepy summer country morning. He and bassist Morris co-wrote
"Where Do We Turn?" a gospel-flavored depression song
with the chorus: "Just like Martin Luther King, we shall
overcome, with our hands on the bible, we keep on a-lookin' towards
the sun." Patrick and Monica co-wrote "Young Mother,"
another song about the depression poor that begins with the melody
of the old hymn, "Bringing In The Sheaves."
Young mother, young mother,
Standin' in the California sun,
Would you go back to Oklahoma
Or would you have never come?
My two favorite cuts on the CD are the Appalachian ballad "Shady
Grove", and Monica's brilliant rendition of Fats Waller's
"Ain't Misbehavin'." I've heard a hundred versions
of "Shady Grove" but this one really stands out. Monica's
vocals are sweet and deep at the same time. Her tearful little
trill works to her advantage, and ours, on this track. She makes
it clear why this song has lasted so long, and why so many people
love to sing it and hear it sung.
"Ain't Misbehavin'" is the surprise cut, and it makes
me say, "hey, MORE of this." You recall that the original
had horn solos?? Patrick duplicates them with mouth music. It's
great!
When you listen to them sing and play, their goodness and love
of the Lord comes through bright and clear. It's a gift, Fertile
Ground is, and thanks to the Farm Couple for putting it in
our hands and ears.
The Farm Couple play all over Oklahoma and western Arkansas.
They'll be selling Fertile Ground at all their gigs, but
you can also contact Monica directly at: www.mtaylorok-at-yahoo.com.
You can contact Bonny Holder at bonny-at-rockzilla.net
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