Leah
Capelle – Joshua
The
three songs on Leah Capelle’s second EP Joshua are three fewer than appeared on
her self-titled EP debut, but don’t mistake this as a dimming of her vision.
Instead, Capelle’s skills and songwriting talents sound more distilled and
refined on this follow-up. Her ability to get under the skin of a song is
nearly unparalleled in our modern musical scene and are far more reminiscent of
the facility shown by her avowed influences like Regina Spektor and the
Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz as well as even greater icons like Joni Mitchell
and Rickie Lee Jones. Capelle, however, is her own performer. There might be
clear influences in what she does, but Capelle never fails to set herself far
away from any mis-tagging as an imitator or glorified tribute artist. Jeff
Bova’s production work on this release frames it in beautiful light and
highlights each element of the three tracks.
His
work is likely no better than what we hear on “Joshua”. The EP’s title song ties
all of its instrumental touches together in a sparkling web of melody and
assertiveness, all of it played just right and never over-stressed. The lyrical
content is equally powerful; there’s a ton of details she uses to get her
songwriting over and the way she tackles the individual passages varies from line
to line but keeps up a solid standard of excellence that any of her audience
will admire. The guitar playing and rhythm section work gives tremendous
melodic import to the song without ever overshadowing her vocals or songwriting
in any way. Perhaps the song would have less impact if she’d opted for a
flatter, less dramatic construction, but “Joshua” is memorable, if nothing
else, for the way it steadily climbs to some thrilling heights. The EP’s second
number, “Out Now”, has a much more restrained presentation but adopts the same
principles of slow-burning verses culminating in an exciting chorus. The great
care that she and her fellow musicians take during the verses really sets a
memorable mood that the pulse-pounding chorus expands on and the unity of the
song, as a whole,
“Who
I Am” closes Joshua with some rock guitar bite. The six string flourishes are
never gratuitous or plagued with over-playing, but instead fit tightly in with
the rest of her own. The rhythm section takes on a particularly effective
strength here and lays down solid, yet never inert, bedrock for the rest of the
band. The lyrical content is the EP’s best, right behind the title cut, and
Leah Capelle delivers it with an added dramatic emphasis that makes this stand
out as her best singing performance on this release. The song shows the same
white-hot focus that makes the rest of the release fly and it serves as a very
effective ending for Joshua. This short collection is a valuable second studio
step in a career that seems destined to have a lot of longevity. Leah Capelle’s
Joshua has variety, discipline, and passion to burn in an entertaining package.
9
out of 10 stars
Charles
Hatton
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