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Reviews

Album Review: Jade Bird (self-titled)

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Rating: 10/10

For lovers of the folk rock side of Americana, passionate and thought-provoking songwriting, and/or rich, unique vocal quality, meet Jade Bird, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from the UK who has just released the best album of the year so far. Continuing the excellent trend led by Charles Wesley Godwin and Emily Scott Robinson, Jade Bird has released an incredible debut, showcasing nothing but promise for her future and hopefully introducing many more years of strong output.

Sonically, this album can be a little difficult to pin down. It’s not quite country, for the traditionalists out there, but it fits squarely in Americana and features some acoustic songs and piano ballads that most closely resemble folk, country’s introspective cousin. But it doesn’t fall into the trap of sleepy, introverted Americana either; Jade balances the softer stuff well with edgier rock songs and an angst reminiscent of Alanis Morissette on Jagged Little Pill.

Vocal ability is always welcome in folk and Americana, and Jade Bird delivers this in spades. There’s a little of the aforementioned Morissette in her voice, and perhaps some Amanda Shires, particularly as Shires sounded on her latest incredible record. But Bird’s uniqueness sets her apart from these artists and really from everyone, and she also shows an awareness of her strengths, the care and ability to write songs that best showcase her incredible voice. There’s a little rasp in her voice that only increases as she reaches for higher notes, and she writes to take full advantage of this. It’s almost as if ‘Lottery” were written especially to test the limits of her vocal power, and she passes the test beautifully. Few vocalists can sing a sustained chorus at the very reaches of their range like this, but even fewer can sing the same chorus with measured intensity and yet still keep the same grit, as Jade manages to do on the last, quieter chorus of this song.

Lyrically, this album is fascinating. Most of this focuses on the dual personalities of relationships, the endless cycle between happiness and heartbreak, and the way the two can exist almost simultaneously. “One minute I love you, and the next it’s all in ruins,” she sings on the opener, aptly titled “Ruins.” Bird says she almost named this album after the song “Love Has All Been done Before,” and it would have been perfect because that track sums everything up; it’s the jaded feeling of not even wanting to start a new relationship and be in love because the inevitable end is already in sight. “17,” a beautiful piano ballad that shows Bird restraining her voice to deliver something heartfelt and sad, also takes this approach; she pushes her partner away because she’s afraid he’ll “just get up and leave,” and her heart won’t be able to take it. And “My Motto” sees her literally repeating to herself not to trust and let people in because it can only lead to pain and heartache.

Sometimes this jaded view of love comes out in anger and frustration rather than in hurt. “Uh Huh” and “Good at It” are placed back to back in order to best display this side of heartache. in “Uh Huh,” Bird is telling her ex that his new love is playing him the same way he played her, and her grim satisfaction gives us a glimpse of that Morissette angst. “Good at It” takes the opposite approach, as she’s resentful of the new lover, whom she sarcastically calls a “goddess,” bitterly demanding if this woman is “good at it” because that has to be the reason her ex won’t call her anymore. Bird described this to Apple Music as the feeling that you gave everything to the relationship and the worry that it must be something in the bedroom which is driving him to someone else. That insecurity is taken out in this song as pure anger, and credit again to Bird for writing this in the right key in order for her vocals to be especially intense and outraged.

But it’s not all so jaded and bitter. In fact, two of the album’s strongest moments come when Jade is simply having fun. “Side Effects” is the moment where she gives in for awhile to being in love and feeling free, and the driving guitars really add to this song about running away together. There’s an almost 80’s rock flavor to this which would be great to see Bird exploring more on future projects. The other fun moment is again dripping with angst and sarcasm, but “Going Gone” is very obviously delivered with humor, and you can just tell Jade is having the time of her life singing it. This one is about her drunken boyfriend who talks a lot of shit about himself in the pubs but in the end still lives with his mom and doesn’t own a car. This one has instant replay value. Another impressive note; Jade wrote this song when she was only fourteen years old.

The album closer departs from this theme of love and heartbreak, but perhaps the most impressive song on a record full of impressive songs is “If I Die.” This one features simply a piano and Jade’s vocals, and it’s a song to her mother, to give her strength if Bird should pass away. It’s filled with emotion and perfect for her voice, an outstanding way to end the album.

This is an incredible, fascinating record, and it’s almost unbelievable that it’s her debut full-length album. On a site called Country exclusive, this album probably won’t be for everyone, leaning more to the folk rock-Americana end of the spectrum. But it’s excellently written, with thoughtful songwriting wrapped in accessible hooks and melodies, and delivered with exceptional vocal ability and passion. It’s simply an album for fans of good music. Hopefully, this is just the beginning, and we’ll be talking about Jade Bird for years to come.

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Reviews

Album Review: Amanda Shires–To the Sunset

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Rating: 9/10

Wow, what a fascinating and captivating album! From the opening notes of “Parking Lot Pirouette,” with its spacey, atmospheric production and poetic lyrics about the constellations and Aquarius, I knew this was something different and special. I have worn out this album in the past week since it became an NPR First Listen, especially in the past two days since it became available to buy, and it’s one of those records where not only could I not wait to write about it, but I also had to force myself to sit down and write about it rather than continue to listen to it over and over instead. It’s one of those albums that is exactly the reason I do this, the reason that any of us do, because when music hits you like this, you just want to share it, and thank God for this outlet where I get to do that with you all. For the record, I haven’t been an Amanda shires apologist previously, and also for the record, this isn’t like any other album she’s yet given us. It’s not country or even Americana; this is a rock album, despite its apple Music label of “singer-songwriter.” But damn, is it a good rock album, and it reminds you just how much rock and country are similar in that both are beloved genres of American music marginalized and endangered in 2018.

I mentioned that opener, “Parking Lot Pirouette,” and it may be one of the best opening tracks of the year in terms of hooking me on an album and establishing the mood of the record. desire and sensuality run heavily through the songs of To the Sunset, especially in these first three. In this opening song, the narrator is seducing her lover in a parking lot, turning around and telling him, in response to his comment that she won’t get far, “you’re right, I’m not done with you yet.” “Swimmer,” recorded on a previous Shires album in a more country fashion, deals with the daydreams of a past love, but the echoes of desire are here too, as she sings of wishing he’d “come hover over me and speak something close to me.” And then there’s “Leave it Alone,” a highlight on a stellar album, where the vocal effects work to perfection as Amanda sings of finding new places on her lover’s body, and the desire that she can’t, well, leave alone. Shires’ MFA in poetry is on full display here; it is on much of this album, but it’s especially impressive and beautiful here because there are only so many ways you can write about sex, and she does so both elegantly and sensually.

And Dave Cobb deserves a world of credit for this effort in production; this almost seems outside the confines of his Dave Cobb ways, and yet in terms of making Amanda shires and her songs come alive in the best way possible, he absolutely excels here. This may be his best production I’ve ever heard as far as bringing out the best in an artist. The distortion works excellently on the hardest rocking track here, an instantly re-playable number called “Eve’s daughter.” The shakes and tremors in Amanda’s voice would come off as frail on certain songs, or if left too bare by the arrangements, but they work instead to enhance songs like “Break out the Champagne” and the aforementioned “Parking Lot Pirouette.” It is a great case of taking one’s vocal tone and using it as an advantage; I know Amanda Shires has been self-conscious of this vocal characteristic in the past, but it only serves to add character to these songs, and that’s both a credit to her finding the right style for her voice and to Cobb’s dedication to her vision.

I could go into more detail about these songs, but I’d be here until this time tomorrow night and miss my flight tomorrow morning. Also, I have something else planned, and I don’t want to defeat the purpose of that. But I can’t say enough about this record. If you are at all into rock music, particularly 80’s rock, or if you are at all into poetic, thoughtful songwriting, please check this out. What a masterpiece, and something truly unique and fresh. Yes, this album will definitely be there in the conversation when those December lists come around. Amanda shires should be extremely proud of this.

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Non-Country Stuff

Rock Spotlight: Ruby Boots–Don’t Talk About It

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I don’t know why this Ruby Boots album is being marketed as country, or why outlets are citing this Australia native as an exciting new country artist to keep an eye on, because this isn’t, and she’s not. It’s most definitely rock, and as Michael Rauch of The Cheap Seat Report recently pointed out on Twitter, people are really afraid to call a project rock these days. Maybe that’s because the term appears outdated, and country seems to be the cool thing to label your record in these times. I don’t know, but despite what Rolling Stone or Apple Music says, this is certainly and proudly a rock effort. It’s also quite a good one and an obvious choice for my first non-country spotlight of the year.

Because it’s rock, it’s not going to blow you away with well-crafted lyrics or astounding melodies, and that’s why it’s harder for me to speak about as primarily a country reviewer, and why I ultimately chose to spotlight this. Rather, the strengths of this album are its instrumentation and production. It’s the style that sells you on this album and artist, from the opening moments of “It’s So Cruel” to the atmospheric sound of “Believe in Heaven.” It’s the way distortion is used to greater effect on songs like “Somebody Else.” It’s the way the vocals move from one side to the other across your stereo on “I’ll Make it Through” to add a really cool vibe. Stylistically, it’s much like something that would have been on rock radio thirty years ago, and it’s really refreshing to hear someone doing this so well in 2018.

And Ruby Boots has the power and intensity to match these songs and style as well; in fact, her weakest moment on the whole album comes when she tries to hold back for the tender “I am a Woman.” It illustrates that her strength lies in more intense music, that she’s more at home belting out among screaming guitars than trying to sing something more stripped back. That said, she does pull this more emotional side off well on “Break my Heart Twice,” which is also the closest cousin to country on this record.

The current state of rock music is even worse than what we’re experiencing with country right now; indeed, the complete implosion of the format is probably why many artists are afraid to associate themselves with the title. But just like Joshua Hedley recently said about country, rock is not a dirty word. To that end, artists keeping that sound and spirit alive today should be proud. Ruby Boots is keeping that sound alive and doing it well.

So yeah, I really enjoyed this. Fans of rock music, particularly that from the late 80’s or so, check this out and get to know Ruby Boots.

Standout Tracks: “It’s so Cruel,” “Believe in Heaven,” “I’ll Make it Through,” “Don’t Talk About It,” “Break my Heart Twice”

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Reviews

Album Review: Kip Moore–Slowheart

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Rating: 6.5/10

The case of Kip Moore is a curious one. Yeah, he’s not country; no, not in the slightest. This is a rock album, and the rating above reflects this as an album, not a country album. In fact, it’s less country than Thomas Rhett’s latest offering. Yep, you read that right. There’s actually a song or two on Rhett’s that might be halfway excusable on country radio. But this? Complete, 100% Kip Moore style rock. And I hate that he’s taking one of the precious few slots on a country label to release music as blatantly non-country as this.

But you know what? Inasmuch as Kip Moore is a problem for country music, his presence in the mainstream is a victory for music in general and for true artistry and musical expression. It’s not Kip’s fault they’ll play anything on country radio; credit to him for fighting his labels, releasing original, thoughtful material, most of which he helped write, but more than that, material he wanted to release. You have to give this guy credit for becoming the artist he wants to be in this environment, for managing to stick out in a world of clones and wannabes, and for yeah, just being himself. Remember when I said, Kip Moore style rock? That’s just it; he’s somehow prevailed to keep what makes him unique as an artist–Dustin Lynch, take a lesson–and that’s why you root for his success from a pure musical standpoint. So it’s not rife with fiddle and steel, and if you want that, steer clear. But if you’re just looking for something real, authentic, refreshing, and you have a little more genre allegiance than just strictly to country, you might find a lot to like about this record.

Moore’s last album, Wild Ones, was much the same sonically–most definitely a rock record labeled country, but also fresh and forward-thinking and somewhat unique to Kip. The instrumentation and production on that album were generally quite strong, but the lyrics were mostly just forgettable. It’s the lyrical content where you see a major improvement on this record; you still have the cool riffs and rocking guitars, but you also have depth. Some of these songs lyrically would make great traditional country tunes, and that might serve to attract more people to this album than to his last. As a country fan, it would be cool to hear some of them, like “Plead the Fifth” especially, with a more country production, but that wouldn’t be Kip Moore. That’s not his style, and he’s not compromising, so I have to respect that.

“Just Another Girl” is quite a good heartbreak song, and yeah, the rocking edge and catchy riffs really just add to the intensity. “Plead the Fifth” might be interesting country, but it works well this way too, and together, these open the album with two of its strongest tracks. There are some more hopeful looks on love as well, with the clever “Last Shot” and with “More Girls Like You,” which I enjoyed as a single and which works even better here. “I’ve Been Around” is a bright spot too–just catchy as all hell, and yeah, that’s really all I can say about that one. And then you get to the end and “Guitar Man” comes on and holy crap, this is pretty damn country. Maybe not stone cold, slide guitar country,, but acoustic, lyric-driven, something a Jason Isbell or probably any number of Texas/Red Dirt artists might record. I daresay this is Kip Moore’s strongest song to date; it’s about the traveling musician and all of his experiences on the road and with the audience. It’s the details that sell it, from the “two-tone bucket of rust” to the “redhead named Annie” to the “sweet Lisa” who mixes drinks; “life’s been hard on her, but she’s been good to me.” Kip Moore is obviously a good musician, and his ability as a songwriter has certainly come a long way here on this album, but this song especially displays his ability to draw out emotion when he sings. Just really impressed with this.

And now we come to the stuff here I could really do without. We have a lot of love songs, so the result is that some of them just become forgettable and blend into the background, especially “Try Again.” “Blonde” is lyrically actually pretty good; it’s a tale of a woman who’s become famous and forsaken her hometown and the people who knew her. But it’s got some sort of weird, poppy production that just doesn’t work for either Kip or the song, especially Kip, and I don’t know who came up with this idea, but it sucks. “The Bull” is also incredibly annoying, and it’s unfortunate that these two are back-to-back on the track list. Look, I get that “The Bull” is inspirational or something, as he wants to thank the “bulls that bucked me off” for making him stronger, but again, the production and really everything about this song is just extremely irritating to me. I also would have been happy if he’d left “Sunburn” off the record, as the only word I can think to summarize its existence here is pointless.

But overall, this album is pretty good. It definitely shows a lot of growth for Kip Moore in the lyrical department, and if you like rock albums, I encourage you to check this out. If you weren’t a fan of his past stuff because of the lyrical content, I encourage checking it out too, you’ll probably like it a lot better.

I wish Kip Moore were recording music in the rightful genre because at the end of the day, he shouldn’t be allowed to have success on country radio and country charts anymore than Thomas Rhett or even Sam Hunt. But as I say, what is a defeat for country music in this instance is also a victory for artistry and individuality. Do I wish Kip Moore’s place on Music Row were inhabited by someone more traditional, hell, even country at all? Yes, certainly I do. But as a fan of music first, this is a pretty good album, an album that Kip Moore wanted to make, an album that displays growth and uniqueness and individuality in a mainstream artist. So credit to Kip Moore for finding that, even more for finding it within the confines of the mainstream environment. (Again, Dustin Lynch, it is possible.) Not country in any universe, but not a bad record by any stretch.

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Reviews

Album Review: Aubrie Sellers–New City Blues

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Rating: 8.5/10

Often, we traditionalists are labeled by the mainstream as close-minded purists living in the past, wanting everything to sound like Hank Williams and Waylon Jennings. We can’t embrace anything new and forward-thinking. Well, sit back and listen, because I am a traditionalist reviewer about to embrace something quite new and different. Meet Aubrie Sellers, the daughter of the brilliant singer Lee Ann Womack and songwriter Jason Sellers. Aubrie comes onto the scene in a time when country music is desperate for women, for substance, and yes, for originality. She brings us a style she calls “garage country”–a blend of country, Americana, and garage rock. Much like Whitney Rose’s 2015 Heartbreaker of the Year, with its blend of traditional country and vintage pop, Aubrie’s New City Blues introduces something new to country music that you won’t have heard before–something not every listener will embrace, and something that is at times overdone and forced on this record, but something for which Aubrie Sellers will stand out and for which she should be commended.

The album opens with guitar licks, introducing us to garage country long before we meet Aubrie. This album is unapologetic in what it wants to be, unlike Cam’s recent effort, Untamed, which, though it showed Cam’s potential, struggled to say anything and find an identity. “Light of Day,” the first track, tells me two more things–I quite like garage country, and Aubrie Sellers sounds remarkably like her mother, which is an absolutely wonderful thing. “Light of Day” is infectious, the perfect way of introducing us to Aubrie Sellers and to the style. “Sit Here and Cry” is an upbeat heartbreak song, which I find quite intriguing. It features some great harmonica play, but the lyrics are nothing special, and the garage country is a bit overdone here. “Paper Doll” is a moment of complete rock–and on this song of frustration with girls acting like “paper dolls” with their “fake makeup,” this approach works. More songs like this would bring the album down, but “Paper Doll” stands out as a highlight, an experiment.

“Losing Ground” slows the album down–here, Aubrie sings of a woman who is going through a difficult time; “But I’m not crazy, I’m just losing ground,” she sings. The heartfelt honesty in this song really sells it, and I am glad this song was more strip-back, allowing Aubrie’s voice to shine, along with the lyrics. It should be noted that this is one of two songs on New City Blues solely written by Aubrie Sellers, which makes me excited for her future as a songwriter. Next is “Magazines”–a full garage country rant about the lies magazines tell women, from weight loss plans to how to get a man. It’s something that Kacey Musgraves or Brandy Clark would sing, and I am not surprised that Brandy Clark was a writer. “Magazines” seems a little overproduced; it feels like the garage country is a bit forced. “Dreaming in the Day” gets everything right–the production and the lyrics and Aubrie’s vocals go together perfectly. Here, the narrator sings of “sitting at a green light,” still thinking of the night before with her man. “Liar Liar” is another one where the production fits perfectly, telling the story of a man in a bar who is good at lying to women. “Humming Song” is the other song written solely by Sellers; it’s another strip-back moment that might sound happy and pleasant if the lyrics weren’t so sad. The woman here is heartbroken over her man falling for someone else, and writing this new woman love letters. It’s the slow, stripped-down counterpart to “Sit Here and Cry”–both are lighthearted songs on the surface, but the lyrics are actually quite dark.

“Just to be With You” returns to Aubrie’s signature garage country, complete with distortions–here, a woman is quitting her job, stealing a car, and generally being reckless in order to be with a man who lives far away. The production fits here; it is just as reckless as the lyrics. Love will make us do bizarre things, and this song does a good job of expressing that desperation. “People Talking” tells of the things people say behind our backs–Aubrie sings, “My ears only burn when they’re not around. Go on believe them, what am I to do? It’s only people talking, it’s not true.” This feels like an honest moment on the album, and because of that, I feel it is slightly overproduced. Here, the style doesn’t add to the song, it distracts from Aubrie’s voice and the lyrics.

The next three songs get the production absolutely right. “Something Special” is about a woman asking her man to do “something special, something we don’t do all the time.” It’s one of the better songs on the album, and one I keep coming back to. “Loveless Rolling Stone” is about a rambling woman who seems to be missing someone–“They say home is where the heart is, and if that’s so, I must be a loveless rolling stone”–what a line. “Like the Rain” is the most country moment on the album; it’s a song about a man who “floods my heart, then leaves it desert dry.” I am glad this song lets Aubrie’s voice shine and tell us the story. She really conveys the sadness of the woman in this song well. The album closes with the full garage country “Living is Killing Me.” Honestly, I’ve listened to this song four times, and I can’t quote a line. It’s not bad, it’s just unnecessary. Fourteen songs is generally too many for an album, and this one feels like filler, and further forces the style.

Overall, this is a great album. Aubrie Sellers has a remarkable voice, and her unique garage country style is original and suits her. Still, there are moments of overproduction, where the style is simply overdone. Having said that, this is, for the most part, an excellent debut. New City Blues brings something new to the table, and it’s definitely worth checking out.

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