Young's moral reflection is her `Virtue'

By Daniel Gewertz

Credit George W. Bush and Benjamin Franklin for getting Adrienne Young to delve into ``The Art of Virtue.''That's the unsexy but thought-provoking title of the Nashville singer-songwriter's sophomore CD.
``When our country supposedly chose our leader last year on the premise of family values, it caused me to reflect on what family values really meant, collectively,'' said Young, who plays tomorrow at Club Passim in Cambridge. ``The absence of environmental consciousness and peace was a questionable thing.''
Young's acoustic string band music invents a frisky, new sound by traveling back a century. Her reflections on modern moral values sent her even further into the past, all the way back to Ben Franklin.
``Though written in the 18th century, his writing is as applicable as ever,'' said the Florida native.
Young's new album comes with a small booklet, ``The Thirteen Virtues,'' taken from ``The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.'' There's room for readers to mark the course of their own weekly struggle in attaining such virtues as industry, temperance, frugality, tranquillity and silence.
Though a political liberal, Young sings of old-fashioned virtues touted by the Christian right on her album's title song: ``I'm waitin' for the real thing, honey/Ain't nothin' wrong with chastity.''
Two years ago, Young was selected ``new artist of the year'' by folk radio station WUMB-FM (91.9), for the sprightly, antique-sounding ``Plow To the End of the Row.'' This first album offered an innovative take on the resurgent string band tradition, but her new CD is a huge step forward. In a significant reinvention, Young has come up with a muscular, vivid sound, merging pop-rock and country with old-time string band joy.
Though her band is still called Little Sadie, it is now made up of all new members, including two Bostonians: Eric Platt and Eric Merrill. Local Celtic guitar-wizard Flynn Cohen, who recently left the band, is a big part of the new album. Young first saw Cohen play guitar on the streets of Cambridge.
``My old band was more into bluegrass, and I wanted to go in a new direction,'' she said. ``Part of the new sound is just me growing up, getting stronger, developing who I am as a person. The more you know about who you are and why you're on this earth, the better you convey that essence in music.''
But the key to her stunningly successful sound is the fresh merging of new and old.
``It's a postmodern record,'' she said. ``That's the whole point.''
With her first album, Young included a packet of wildflower seeds with each CD, a move that helped earn it a Grammy nomination for best packaging.
``On the new album, Ben Franklin's book of 13 virtues are like seeds of a different sort,'' she said. ``Hopefully, it will remind people that as individuals we have power and influence on the world around us.''

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