You can call the music she makes folk if you want, but there’s jazz in it, too, and blues, and a soulful something or other that you can’t quite put into words. Whether onstage or on record, she presents herself just as she is—no gimmicks, no flashy pyrotechnics, only the solid musicianship of someone who knows and loves her craft.
Natalia's bio from her website (July 2010):
Natalia Zukerman’s Weasel Records debut Brand New Frame introduces listeners to her rich layers of top notch guitar playing, contemporary beats and dark, sweet, provocative vocals. Musically sophisticated, intimate and irreverent all at once, this record highlights what’s best about Americana music and offers it a Brand New Frame.
It is an album about change. In Brand New Frame, Zukerman challenges listeners to break out of patterns and rhythms that hold them back from reaching the truth. The title track, “Brand New Frame” is a wake up call to those who tell the same stories over and over again to anyone who will listen. “Better Me” presents the idea that the people we are striving to be are there all along, waiting for us to catch up to what we already know we are capable of. “Only Trees” is a metaphor for what Zukerman’s album is all about – that things change: landscapes, ideas, music. In the song she recognizes the way we live our modern lives at breakneck speed, and invites us to slow down.
Produced by Willy Porter (www.willyporter.com), Brand New Frame features Zukerman on vocals and guitars, with Dave Schoepke on drums, Dave Adler on keys, Leroy Deuster on Pedal Steel, Bryan Mir on electric bass, Todd Sickafoose (Ani Difranco) and Marty Ballou (John Hammond) on upright bass. The album is also sprinkled with notable guest appearances by fellow songwriters Willy Porter, Melissa Ferrick and Edie Carey.
Warning: You may not be able to get over the mesmerizing guitar chops of the talented Natalia Zukerman, but if you can, you will discover layers. Country roads that lead to red barns, antique shops, glass bottles, resonators, lap steels, finger-picking and trembling slides. And alongside these winding roads are back alleys, flagging cabs, and the buzz of a streetlight clicking with kick drums, pleading organs, and speeding electric guitars behind lyrics that delve boldly into work, love, temptation and the journey to personal reinvention. Brand New Frame tells the story of valuing the past while growing new skin; the unraveling of a relationship with realism, humor and tenderness.
Zukerman didn’t have to look far as a child to find musical influence. She attributes her rigorous work ethic, discipline and instrumental predisposition to her parents. The daughter of violinist/conductor Pinchas Zukerman and flutist/writer Eugenia Zukerman, Natalia grew up in Manhattan immersed in classical music.
Her ears were tuned to perfect pitch, and the guitar dexterity, intricate sense of rhythm and meter evident in her own musicianship came naturally. So did the lifestyle of a traveling performer. Performing live—and experiencing what she calls the life of a “wandering gypsy”—is a family tradition. In addition to her parents, her sister Arianna is an opera singer, and her grandfather played clarinet in Klezmer bands in Poland and later in Israel.
In a sense, Zukerman explores family heritage in “Song For Ramblin’ Jack” one of the 10 original songs on Brand New Frame. She explains it is in part about blood-related family but even more so about the extended family of American troubadours who travel the country sharing both traditional and contemporary genres, songs, skills, instruments, and styles.
“The song ‘Ramblin’ Jack’ came after a Folk Alliance conference in Austin. I realized there that I was a part of this grand tradition of troubadours that was, for me, as much about my own family of traveling musicians as a shared American history. I consider myself a student of traditional music, even though some would say the noise I make is not so traditional.
I did meet Ramblin’ Jack Elliot at a friend’s place in Pt. Reyes, CA a few years ago. I loved him, loved his way of weaving a story and loved that I, in my own little way, try to carry on his legacy as much as the legacy of my own family.”
Since 2004, Zukerman has been touring the country opening shows for roots greats and guitar slingers including Kelly Joe Phelps, Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky, Garnet Rogers, Melissa Ferrick, Catie Curtis, Susan Werner and many others. It was on the road that Zukerman formed the relationship with Willy Porter that would lead to producing Brand New Frame and releasing the album on his label Weasel Records.
“Brand New Frame is a perfect fit with what I’ve always wanted Weasel to represent. The small but mighty team here is thrilled to share Natalia’s record, and tremendous talent, with the world.” -Willy Porter.
Home
Natalia Zukerman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When she talks
It's barely above a whisper
And when she walks
When she walks
The ground seems to dance beneath her
And when she sings
You have no choice but to love her
And when she smiled
When she smiled
The clouds would part in the sky above her
And it looked like something that you'd always known
And it would feel just like coming home
When she was born
When she was born
The heavens surely missed her
For as she lay dying
As she lay dying
She said there were angels there to receive her
She said oh, this looks like something that I've always known
She said I feel like coming home
Maybe this love is all I will ever know
And maybe I'll never find my way home
And maybe this love is all I will ever know
And maybe I'll never find my way home
But if this love is all I will ever know
Then I have already found my way home
In Natalia Zukerman's song "Home," she describes a woman who is so captivating in every way that it's impossible not to love her. The woman's voice is barely above a whisper, her movements cause the ground beneath her feet to dance, and her smile can part the clouds. When she sings, the listener can't help but fall in love with her. The woman's beauty and essence are so familiar, the feeling of "coming home" overwhelms those around her.
The song takes a turn with the line "when she was born, the heavens surely missed her," suggesting that the woman is possibly already deceased. She goes on to say that even as she lay dying, the woman spoke of seeing angels waiting for her and expressed a feeling of coming home. It's as though the woman always had a sense of returning to a place of love and belonging, even in her final moments.
Overall, "Home" is a poignant reflection on the power of love and the sense of belonging that it brings, both in life and in death. The song's imagery of clouds parting and the ground dancing beneath someone's feet make it a powerful tribute to the woman it describes, and a reminder that the people we love can always make us feel at home no matter where we are.
Line by Line Meaning
When she talks
Her voice is so soft and gentle. It's almost like she's telling you a secret.
When she talks
Her voice is so soft and gentle. It's almost like she's telling you a secret.
It's barely above a whisper
She speaks so softly that it's almost hard to hear what she's saying.
And when she walks
As she moves, it seems like the earth is alive and celebrating her presence.
When she walks
As she moves, it seems like the earth is alive and celebrating her presence.
The ground seems to dance beneath her
The way she walks is so beautiful that it feels like the ground is dancing to her rhythm.
And when she sings
The beauty of her voice is so captivating, that you can't help but fall for her.
When she sings
The beauty of her voice is so captivating, that you can't help but fall for her.
You have no choice but to love her
Her music is so heartfelt that it touches your soul, and makes you feel nothing but love.
And when she smiled
Her smile is so beautiful that even the skies open up and show their beauty above her.
When she smiled
Her smile is so beautiful that even the skies open up and show their beauty above her.
The clouds would part in the sky above her
Her smile would light up everything around her, and it would seem like the whole world is celebrating her beauty.
And it looked like something that you'd always known
When you see her, it feels like you've been waiting for this moment your whole life.
And it would feel just like coming home
Being with her feels like being home, like everything is in its right place and nothing else matters.
When she was born
From the moment she entered this world, it was clear that she was special and meant for great things.
When she was born
From the moment she entered this world, it was clear that she was special and meant for great things.
The heavens surely missed her
Her presence on earth was so important that it seemed the heavens were waiting for her arrival.
As she lay dying
Even in her final moments, she remained calm and peaceful, leaving behind a profound legacy.
As she lay dying
Even in her final moments, she remained calm and peaceful, leaving behind a profound legacy.
She said there were angels there to receive her
She knew that she was going to a better place, surrounded by love and light.
She said oh, this looks like something that I've always known
Even in death, she remained sure that she was going back to a familiar place, a place of love and peace.
She said I feel like coming home
Despite the uncertainty of death, she felt that she was going back to a place that felt like home.
Maybe this love is all I will ever know
Perhaps the love she has known in her life is so overwhelming and fulfilling that nothing else will ever come close.
And maybe I'll never find my way home
It's possible that she will never find a place that feels like home as much as this love does.
And maybe this love is all I will ever know
Perhaps the love she has known in her life is so overwhelming and fulfilling that nothing else will ever come close.
And maybe I'll never find my way home
It's possible that she will never find a place that feels like home as much as this love does.
But if this love is all I will ever know
If this love is all she will ever find, then it is enough to make her feel content and fulfilled.
Then I have already found my way home
Even if she never finds a place that feels like home, this love has made her feel complete and at home already.
Contributed by Addison L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.