THE COVE

This look back at the WWI era puts the listener in a small North Carolina community tragically fraught with common human fears. Laden with distrust of diversity in any form, the townspeople cast blame—and worse—at the feet of a young woman and a strange young man. Merritt Hicks brings a quiet beauty to the voices of this pair, hers with vocal cords, his with a flute. Charged with depicting mountain folks, a German immigrant, and a good-old-boy politician, Hicks does not flinch. She brings doubt, fear, and genuine love to her vocal depictions. Listeners will be struck by the power of the human capacity for both good and evil. Dynamically performed, this is a story to return to time and again. J.J.B. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2012]