Quick Hits and Near Misses Continued
Lizzie West & the White BuffaloI Pledge Allegiance to Myself
Appleseed Records
www.lizziewestlife.com
A hybrid funk-pop-folk collection, Lizzie West’s latest, I Pledge Allegiance to Myself, is rife with fun hooks and protest anthems, with hip-hop beats and folk simplicity. The opening “Take These Demons” is a study in the latter, an introspective piano-and-vocal only vignette about battling personal demons. The funky dance track “God Damn That Man” finds West harboring a grudge against an unfaithful former lover, while the licentious “Rope Me In and Smoke Me” features a jazzy horn section, a reggae beat, and vocals reminiscent of Joni Mitchell. West’s protest songs are equally engaging. The ironic “I Pledge Allegiance to Myself,” the folk-rock anti-war statement “19 Miles to Baghdad,” and West’s cover of Bob Marley’s “Get Up Stand Up” (which boasts a scathing poem laced with anti-nationalist sentiment in the bridge) provide apt and timely social commentary. The Arlo Guthrie-inspired “Reaching for the Light” finds West grappling with spirituality, while the anthemic jazz-folk song “They Won’t Bury Us Till We Die” features a sing-along refrain. Surprisingly, West’s multiplicity of musical influences and styles strengthens, rather than weakens, the album’s overall appeal – a rare feat indeed. I Pledge Allegiance to Myself is a rollicking, yet introspective, collections of songs that is edifying fun.
Danielle HowleThank You Mark
Valley Entertainment
www.daniellehowle.com
“Roses From Leroy’s,” the opening track of Danielle Howle’s Thank You Mark, may be a rather inauspicious country-folk song, but it highlights the incongruities present in the album as a whole. Howle’s old school country rivals the best work of Allison Moorer or Tres Chicas, but Thank You Mark finds her straying from that sound, trying to incorporate too many musical influences into eleven tracks. The sublime Patsy Cline-meets-Reckless-era Shelby Lynne Delta swing of “I’ll Be Blue” is laced with pedal steel and brush drums, while the neo-spiritual “Fields of Cotton” features a sinister melody driven by Phillip Lammonds’ ominous resonator flourishes. The heavy jazz swing of “Oh Swear” is rather out of place here, as is Howle’s Motown-meets-James Brown duet with Darius Rucker, “If I Can’t Have You.” Howle continues genre-hopping throughout the remainder of the album – from the big band swing of “This Kind of Light” to the pop string intro of “Love Is a Fall.” The final two tracks, the old school honky-tonk ballad “Woman to Win” and the jazzy bass-only gospel track “Jesus Won’t Wait” are both standout tracks. All in all, Thank You Mark is a delightful, if musically non-uniform, listen.
Brigitte DeMeyerSomething After All
Bdm Records
www.brigittedemeyer.com
Singer-songwriter Brigitte DeMeyer has a potent, raspy alto perfectly made for rock music. DeMeyer’s most recent CD, Something After All, finds her plumbing the depths of not only rock but blues, honky-tonk, pop, gospel, and folk with sophistication and aplomb. The spiritualized folk of the opening “By and By” could be a crossover hit, as could the banjo-driven pop-rock of “Mama’s On A Mission.” “Honey Darlin’” is the true standout track of Something After All, however. A stomping slide guitar anthem, “Honey Darlin’” is an instant country-rock classic. The album’s three cover songs – the Steve Earle-penned rocker “More Than I Can Do,” Buddy and Julie Miller’s honky tonk rave-up “You Wrecked Up My Heart,” and Linford Detweiler’s folk-pop post-breakup ballad “Latter Days” – are all high points as well. DeMeyer’s own lyrics tend to get mired in repetition at times, but Something After All is an enjoyable, musically diverse listen nonetheless.
TideTide
Vibratone Records
www.thisistide.com
Influenced equally by Matthew Sweet, the Who, the Kinks, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and the Replacements, the eponymous album from Brooklyn’s Tide is an ambitious, if uneven, debut. The album opens with the Pink Floyd-esque vocal- and guitar-vignette “Full Enough,” then shifts into the Blink 182-inspired power pop “Never Knows Your Name.” The album ranges from the progressive rock influences of “Today’s On Me” and “Smile” to the ambient, surreal pseudo-metal of “Sticks and Stones” and “City Tonight” to the three-chord power pop melodies and harmonic bliss of “Over Me” and “Satellite.” The album’s only real disappointment is the redundant, monotonic “Swim By Drowning,” which, while boasting substantial harmonies and a melody evocative of Radiohead, would benefit from more profound lyrics. While Tide may have been a bit too ambitious in their attempts to showcase their multitude of influences, Tide is an ambient and enjoyable listening experience for those who enjoy a heavier, more melancholic brand of power pop.