Stephanie Morgan of Asheville-based Stephanie’s Id stands on stage at the Loft, the teeny-weeny package that is her body dressed in a wife beater, a tutu, and plaid Chuck Taylors. Dark brown curls cascade over her face yet are not able to hide her zillion-kilowatt smile. How can I be expected to take someone this impossibly cute seriously as an artist? Turns out, the task becomes far less daunting the moment the band strikes up and she opens her mouth to sing.
Stephanie’s Id is not your average girly-band. Actually, Stephanie’s Id is not your average anything. Stephanie has a baby doll voice that sounds like something between Macy Gray and Bjork with a bit of the edge and quirky unexpectedness of Ani DiFranco. Tracks on the 2007 album, ‘Grus Americanus’ layer these delightful vocal tones over a stylistic versatility that keeps the listener engaged while at the same time maintaining a consistent groove that eases the transition from song to song. The sound is by turns subtly sultry with ambient synth-sounds that create a trance-like feel on tracks like ‘Cold Cold’. At other times the vibe is overtly soulful and funky with smooth gospel-inspired harmonies like those used in the song ‘Hey Hey Hey (It’s Gonna Be Okay)’. In the middle, tracks like the Go-Gos-esque ‘Unmistakably Love’ present a gleeful celebration of cheesy 80’s pop vibe.
Stephanie’s Id is getting attention from the (almost) main-stream press. In a review of ‘Grus Americanus’, the NPR show ‘Second Stage’ described the band’s style as “a beguiling mix of sounds with unexpected sonic turns as hushed, serene songs erupt suddenly into dark, explosive jams.” And they played right here in Columbus! How cool is that? I remain consistently impressed, if not even amazed, by the amount of talent offered to Columbus residents on stages like those at The Loft and Soho’s. If we want to insure that performers of this caliber keep returning to our local venues we need make sure they consistently have a lively audience when they step on stage. In the meantime, I recommend checking out the MySpace page for Stephanie’s Id and giving ‘Grus Americanus’ a listen.
