Lindsey Troy was one-half of L.A.’s rock dynamic duo, Deap Vally. From Dingwalls in 2013 to the Thekla in 2024 I have seen Troy and drummer Julie Edwards tear up stages and turn venues into a seething mass of bodies. But Deap Vally are no more, both members now have families, and touring isn’t great with young children. So, what next? Well, for Lindsey Troy she had “never felt compelled to make a solo record during the over-a-decade Deap Vally was actively making records and road-dogging it around the globe” but is now able to explore new sonic worlds.
If you have been used to the full-throated growl of Troy’s voice in Deap Vally and the rasp of fuzzed-riffs then park that expectation and luxuriate in Troy’s softer side, still with a hint of smoke, on ‘I’ve Seen the Willow Trees’ which she says is, “a song that celebrates the awe-inspiring beauty and transformative power of the natural world. It’s about my love of nature – the profound effect it has had on my life – and my need to share that magic with my children. To bring them to the sacred places, from my childhood and throughout my life, that shaped me and left a lasting impression, and to let them experience that magic too. My heart’s desire is to pass on that deep love of nature to my children and to show them the beauty of this world. “I’ve Seen the Willow Trees” is my love letter to the natural world and to my children.”
This is a richly layered song that sits between a 60s torch song and a modern power ballad and is all class. The slow rotational first half is built on a cloudscape of strings and gently plucked guitar which swells into a sunshine burst of drums, handclaps, and chiming keyboards that float around the vocals like flashes of sunlight; something perfectly captured in the spark flares that flash as the camera swirls around Lindsey Troy standing amongst the trees.
‘I’ve Seen The Willow Trees’ is a wonderful beginning to a new chapter in Lindsey Troy’s musical life. Authenticity and integrity are the currency lesser acts try to manufacture but Troy has them both in spades, particularly in that honey-and-smoke voice of hers. She has tapped into mother nature and motherhood to bring us a powerful and tender song that glories in both.
Lindsey Troy: Website | Instagram | YouTube
I once had a dream
We float on a stream
Flowers on our eyes
In the shade of daylight
Holding hands like
Time was ours to do what we like
I’ve seen the willow trees
And I’ve seen the chicories
I’ve watched the honey bees
And I’ve touched the salted seas
I’ve seen the rosales
And I’ve heard the chickadees
I want to take you there with me
Darlin, do not despair
I’ll braid your hair
I will take care of you
I will wipe all your tears
Lay your head on my breast, dear
Life it can be too fast, so
Let’s go walk on pebbled paths
I’ve seen the willow trees
And I’ve seen the chicories
I’ve watched the honey bees
And I’ve touched the salted seas
I’ve seen the rosales
And I’ve heard the chickadees
I want to take you there with me
One fish two fish
What do you wish?
I want to take you there
I’ve seen the willow trees
I’ve seen the chicories
I’ve watched the honey bees
I’ve touched the salted seas
I’ve seen the rosales
I’ve heard the chickadees
I want to take you there with me
I want to take you
I want to take you there
I want to take you
I want to take you there
Review by Paul F Cook
Keep up to date with all new content on Joyzine via our
Facebook | Bluesky | Instagram | Threads | Mailing List