Dear Companion

Dear Companion
Studio album by Meg Baird
Released	May 22, 2007[1]
Genre	Folk music
Label	Drag City/Wichita/P-Vine

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Philadelphia Inquirer	[2]
Pitchfork Media	(7.8/10)[3]
Allmusic	[4]
Popmatters	(7/10)[5]
Drowned in Sound	(8/10)[6]
Dusted Magazine	(positive)[7]
Uncut (magazine)	(positive)[8]
Foxy Digitalis	[9]

Dear Companion is Espers vocalist Meg Baird's first solo album. It was released in 2007 to critical praise. The album contains three traditional folk songs, four covers of more recent songs, and two original songs written by Baird. The album is lightly orchestrated traditional folk music, without Espers' psychedelic and prog influences, dense orchestration, and dark atmosphere. Dear Companion was recorded at the same time as the Espers album II, at Baird's home in Philadelphia.^[10] Two of the traditional songs ("Willie o Winsbury" and "Barbry Ellen") also appeared on Leaves From Off the Tree, an album by Baird, Espers bandmate Helena Espvall, and Sharron Kraus that came out the year before.^[10] Two versions of the title song open and close the album, the second one acapella.^[11]

Track listing

^[1][10]

1. "Dear Companion" (Traditional) – 3:44
2. "River Song" (Chris Thompson)– 2:31
3. "The Cruelty of Barbary Ellen" (Traditional)– 6:26
4. "Do What You Gotta Do" (Jimmy Webb)– 2:48
5. "Riverhouse in Tinicum" (Original) – 4:01
6. "The Waltze of the Tennis Players" (Fraser & DeBolt)– 3:05
7. "Maiden in the Moor Lay" (Original) – 2:26
8. "Sweet William and Fair Ellen"(Traditional) – 5:13
9. "All I Ever Wanted" (New Riders of the Purple Sage)– 3:20
10. "Willie O' Winsbury" (Traditional) – 6:09
11. "Dear Companion" – 2:27

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Jurek, Thom. Dear Companion: Review. Allmusic.
2. ^ Pelusi, Michael. "Reviews of new pop, country-roots, jazz and classical releases." Philadelphia Inquirer. 2007-04-22.
3. ^ Pitchfork Media review
4. ^ Allmusic review
5. ^ Popmatters review
6. ^ Drowned in Sound review
7. ^ Dusted Magazine review
8. ^ Uncut (magazine) review
9. ^ Foxy Digitalis review
10. ^ ^{a b c} Murphy, Matthew. Album Review: Dear Companion. Pitchfork Media. 2007-04-30.
11. ^ http://drownedinsound.com/releases/10012/reviews/2108648-meg-baird-dear-companion