Molly Thomas & The rare birds

2011

Molly Thomas doesn’t shy away from expressing who she is in her music. 
Never trying to emulate anyone with her sound, but always mindful of the 
influence that her experiences bring, she has constantly continued to craft her 
skills. She has now poured them into a stunning showcase, in the form of her 
latest effort, "Make Everything Bright." 

The road to "Make Everything Bright" started when she began playing violin 
as a child in Mississippi and has taken her around the world sharing the stage 
with names like Todd Snider, Will Hoge, Matthew Ryan, Mando Saenz, Amelia White, Will 
Kimbrough, Tommy Womack and K.S. Rhodes. Each mile prepping her for 
making the type of music that begs to be written. Her desire to share her 
stories and evoke emotion from others is where her talent and heart shines 
brightest. 

“Make Everything Bright”, co-produced by Marco Giovino (drummer for Norah 
Jones, Patty Griffin, Robert Plant) is filled with the same gritty passion that has 
always permeated her music. It’s an album made of “real” and reflects on life 
with an exuberant joy but certainly not through rose-colored glasses. 

It is an album that cuts through the predictable female singer songwriter 
stereotype and Molly is able to call it like it is and move on. In the songs, “The 
Opportunist”, “35’s Got You Down”, “Leavin’ in My Blood”, “Unavailable Man” 
and “You’re a Sorry One” she calls out a conniving female, tells her man to 
grow up, tells someone she’s out, begs “that guy” to stop hurting women and 
tells a cheater off. But these aren’t the ramblings of some prepubescent 
wallowing in her misery these are the stories of a woman who sees through 
the games people play without becoming bitter or victimized. 

Her uncanny ability for empathy is evident in “Hey, I’ve Been There Too” 
where she shares her compassion for people struggling with everyday 
problems and her optimistic outlook comes shining through on “Henry John” 
and “Blanket of Stars” where she looks hopefully toward the future and new 
beginnings. And while Molly is a true renaissance woman who has changed 
much over the years, her roots stay strong as evidenced in “The Ocean”, a 
haunting melody about the healing waters of her homeland and her people. 
And finally, the title track, “Make Everything Bright” sums up the entire record 
with the lyrics “I hear a sad song behind a happy conversation. What a perfect 
situation, I could die like this.” And just as in the song, this happy title is filled 
with evocative lyrics, poignant phrases and mysterious melodies all woven 
together to create her most passionate and heartfelt record yet. 

Molly surrounded herself with quite the cast of musicians on this album. 
Besides co-producing the record, Marco Giovino is also the pounding beat behind 
the drums. Other players include Paul Ossola (Levon Helm, GE Smith), Frank 
Swart (Patty Griffin), Kylie Harris (Patty Loveless), Doug Lancio (Patty Griffin, 
John Hiatt, Todd Snider), John Jackson (Bob Dylan, Shelby Lynne, Lucinda Williams), 
Christopher Hoffee (Atom Orr, The Truckee Brothers & Steve Poltz), 
John Morgan Reilly (RxGF; co-producer of "Blanket of Stars"), 
Neal Pawley, Brian Ritchey and Matthew Burgess. 

Molly’s music stirs up a plethora of emotions. Sometimes, tied to a sense of 
loss, but if you are able to step out of this disjointed world in which we live, 
you will find that there is also plenty of room for toasting, loving and laughing. 
Molly’s music is a reflection of these ingredients of the human spirit and this 
album provides a perfect snapshot in which to relate.