By Henry Lipput
Bees and Bees and Bees
Bees and Bees and Bees is the amazing debut album from Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter Brandi Ediss (Futureman Records). She joins a long line of honest voices like Joni Mitchell that are not afraid to write about both their failures and successes at love. Many of Ediss' lyrics are honest, sometimes painfully honest, and her clear vocal lines and the album’s simple arrangements only add to what comes across as confessions of the heartbreak or joy of relationships.
One of my favorite songs on Bees and Bees and Bees is “Chicago.” Ediss sings about having written a song that she had hoped to sing to someone special but now she’s walking through the city by herself, trudging through the snow, tripping over tree roots: “The city feels new again / But not in a good way / And I now I just don’t know when / Chicago will feel like home again /’Cause I learned to see this town through you / Now I guess I’ll have to start brand new.” The song also has an incredibly beautiful string arrangement that only adds to the sadness of the lyrics.
There are also some upbeat songs like the full band “Stupid Boyfriend” that describes a guy who sends her poetry and flowers at work. But she’s self-defeating and wishes he’d just walk away but, in the end, “I love my stupid boyfriend.“ The very positive “Linoleum” tells of an abrupt turn-around from someone who had settled on living her life alone: “But here’s the thing I’ve been thinking / When I’m with you it all just seems so clear / Your arms around me in the morning / Your sweetest voice singing in my ear.”
And based on the good vibes of “Linoleum” it’s clear that Ediss found what she was looking for in the wonderful song “I’ll Keep You Warm” even though at the time she was still searching for that special person and all the things she could give to them.
4
The pop-tastic delight that is Coke Belda's 4 (digital: Futureman Records / CD: Kool Kat Musik) is Belda’s follow-up to his 2017 Bee Gee’s tribute album. This time it’s a tribute of sorts to Paul McCartney. Like Macca, the Pittsburgh-based Belda plays nearly all of the instruments in his home studio on the new album.
The opening track, “Thank You, Paul” has a number of references to Macca’s solo work and the whole thing has a real Badfinger feel to it (which isn't such a stretch since McCartney wrote their first hit). And McCartney’s influence, especially his early solo work, is heard all over this album.
“Another Day” isn’t a cover but a lush original from Belda. and it has a ear-worm hook that builds to a rocking middle eight. The short, sweet “Believe” lifts a hook from McCartney’s “Blackbird” which the former Beatle admits he lifted from a Bach piece he was playing. The lovely “1968“ also uses a similar guitar sound but the vocal and overall feel of the song recalls Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s “Our House.”
“Broken Circle” is an orchestral gem with its George Harrison sounding guitar solo, a solid bass line, and Beach Boys-like backing vocals. When he sings “Everything you do is driving me insane“ I take it to be in a good way.
Next time: A new single from The Shop Window
No comments:
Post a Comment