Barbara J. returns with her sophomore album A Box Full of Records

Barbara J. returns with her sophomore album A Box Full of Records and its three stunning lead singles – covers of The Korgis’ “Everybody’s Gotta’ Learn Sometime,” The Carpenters’ “Rainy Days and Mondays” and Poco’s “Crazy Love” (which features no less than Mike Webb contributing keys to the song) – and while these tracks are true to the classic framework that made them hits to begin with, they’re inarguably as original as it gets in this brand new, pointed execution. I’ve always been hesitant to embrace cover songs and have always struggled to appreciate records made up wholly of material written by other artists, but in the case of these tracks, it’s impossible for me to dismiss them as anything other than modern gems.

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/malibubarbara

“Crazy Love” and “Everybody’s Gotta’ Learn Sometime” see Barbara J. putting all of the emphasis on the texture in the melodies that hold the righteous rhythms together, while “Rainy Days and Mondays” focuses mostly on her awesome delivery of the lyrics. In all three instances, she’s using the backing band to create as much of a mood as she is the stylish poetry in the songs, but each of these tracks displays a different approach to the recording process that, for all intents and purposes, Barbara J. would appear to have mastered.

These songs suit the style of her singing perfectly, and in “Crazy Love,” we really get to see what her voice is capable of when it’s given enough room to really spread out and cultivate a mountainous melody. The string arrangement is pretty conservative, but her vocal track is simply brimming with muscular bass and treble, cutting through the glowing verses with impunity. She’s come a long way since her first record, and I actually think that she should explore covering more material from this particular period in pop music history.

LP SPOTIFY:  https://open.spotify.com/album/5RMfR1Hp0kgHraxMXHt9Ar

BARBARA J SPOTIFY: https://artists.spotify.com/c/artist/5xLOqJVS1zNKsVfQrbbCms/profile#about

There’s an immeasurable amount of emotion in all of these singles, and though it gives the chorus in “Rainy Days and Mondays” all of its zeal, I don’t think that the vocal ever becomes so intense in the big picture as to overshadow the instrumental aspect of these songs at all. Barbara J. is the type of artist who pays attention to the littlest of details in her music, and as a result, her releases never feel lopsided or inarticulately constructed. If her peers could somehow find a way to adopt a similarly disciplined attitude towards making a record, mainstream pop might not be in the inexplicably trite mess that it is right now.

HEAR NOW: https://barbaraj.hearnow.com/

To say that it’s awfully hard to make legendary music feel as real and tangible as it did for the era of listeners who made it a classic would be an understatement of criminal proportions, but in the case of A Box Full of Records, Barbara J. makes it look all too easy. She’s on top of her game and dishing out some of the most sophisticated and sensuous melodies of her career so far, and if you ask me, there isn’t an artist around – in or out of her scene – making the deeper creative impact that she is at the moment.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraJsMusic/

FACEBOOK: A Gordon Lightfoot Retrospective:  https://www.facebook.com/sundownbarbaraj/

Mindy McCall

Stephanie Rose release Sprout (EP) and Luxury (SINGLE)

URL: https://www.stephanierosemusic.com/

Stephanie Rose hasn’t been writing, recording, or performing for long, but she’s already made strides it takes most performers years to equal. She’s already an award nominated singer, an increasingly experienced live act, and has one well received EP release under her belt. Her latest studio release, an EP entitled Sprout, shows she has no signs of slowing down. Instead, the six songs included on this EP reveal her, for newcomers, to be a singer and performer unafraid to face down a variety of material without any compunction – the nature of her talents is so wide she can convincingly handle any number of styles. The title song begins the EP with a decidedly upbeat point of view sonically – nothing is ever out of control here, but the playing rushes forward with a lot of energy and the inclusion of horns adds an interesting, if not unexpected, twist.

We’re back in a more predictable position with the EP’s second song “Rusted Love” but, even here, Rose tweaks our expectations. Modern country is rife with songs leaning more in an AOR rock direction than steel guitars, but Rose has such a natural aptitude for ransacking rock music’s sound while still remaining identifiably herself it makes her stand out from more customary fare. The third song “Luxury” has a totally different tone, pulling back the reins on any hint of rock, and instead going headlong into country balladry and avoiding any of its hackneyed tropes. The song has slower, much more deliberate pacing and works largely as a marriage of fiddle and piano. The latter instrument doesn’t unwind continuous melodic lines; instead, it builds its effects incrementally and the fiddle swirls and sways throughout the performance with bewitching lyricism. Her vocal really gets deep into the song’s portrayal of love enduring in the face of struggle.

I-TUNES (EP): https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/sprout-ep/1436694108

“Old Soul” comes off like a throwback, for sure, but never in a roll your eyes sort of way. Rose is using this traditional style, a likely four piece set up with strong bass playing anchoring everything, for her own uses rather than just imitating the form. She has a remarkable way of writing about serious subjects with a gracefulness and easy sophistication far beyond her years, but chronological age has always been a poor way of evaluating talent. She definitely stands out thanks to songs like “Old Soul”. It doesn’t feel like a rehash; instead, Rose is refurbishing and refitting time tested traditions for a modern audience.

“Crushed” does much of the same. Here, however, Rose is back in rockier terrain than “Old Soul” and anyone who listens to modern country will recognize the style, but she diverges along the way. It’s subtler here than other songs like “Luxury” and the title track, but there’s a level of nuance and attentiveness in her art you don’t often hear from other contemporaries. Rose, time after time, seems to have an astonishingly clear idea of what she wants her music to accomplish. “Same Old Same Old” brings Sprout to a satisfying end despite its seeming light touch. The songwriting has more to say than you might initially assume, but Rose delivers the song with a wistful sigh and the character of someone unwilling to let negativity get too deep under their skin. It’s an ending well in keeping with everything coming before it and provides proof of another strong point for this EP – it is every bit as thought and fleshed out as any full length release and the running order is clearly arranged for maximum effect. It’s these kinds of seemingly small details that make Sprout an even more rewarding experience.

AMAZON (SINGLE): https://www.amazon.com/Luxury/dp/B07HGKLHNW

Seth Mitchell 

Penelope Robin “Some Girls”

PRIMARY URL: http://www.peneloperobin.com

Though the premise for her new music video is simple, there’s nothing ordinary about the sensational brand of pop that young Penelope Robin is dishing out in “Some Girls.” Robin’s big voice transcends the limits of stereophonic recording in her latest single, and in its accompanying music video, viewers are treated to a visual tapestry that is reflective of her unique talent, and moreover, the content of a song that reigns supremely over its contemporaries in 2019. Her swaggering lyrical approach invites us to embrace the confidence that she so poetically espouses in this track, and in watching her find joy in the simple sights and sounds of an urban setting, we’re inspired to revisit a childlike wonderment that exists within all of us, regardless of age.

Robin’s vocal is extremely well-mixed in this single. Though the gentle piano play that frames it in the composition is brooding and equally as evocative, her words are always at the center of our attention, cushioned between the rigid textures in the instrumentation but never crushed by their grandiosity. You could make the argument that her style of singing is so organic and natural that it would stand out no matter the backdrop, and considering the intricacies that comprise the melody in “Some Girls,” I would be inclined to agree with you. Robin is the type of singer who doesn’t need a lot of fancy bells and whistles to steal the spotlight away from everything else going on around her; this isn’t to discount the efforts of her backing band here, but instead to highlight how profound a vocalist she truly is.

OFFICIAL VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNK9D15ZWIk

The lyrics that wash over us in “Some Girls” are accessible and catchy from the onset, and don’t fall apart in the chorus in favor of adopting a predictably hooking rhyme. Whether you’re a big fan of pop music or not, there’s no denying the talent that she displays here linguistically; inside of a mere two and a half minutes of play, she weaves together a sharp, erudite narrative that is relatable across age and gender borders – something that, to be fair, is a marvelous feat in its own right. If she’s this adept at only 11 years old, one really has to wonder just how incredibly skilled she’s going to be ten years from now with a plethora of professional experience under her belt.

“Some Girls” is a fun but poignant pop song that starts off 2019 right for Penelope Robin, whose tremendous potential as a recording artist is utilized excellently here. You know you’re onto something good when a song communicates to the audience texturally as well as lyrically, and in the case of this single, words like “engaging” simply doesn’t do the subject justice. I’m eager to see what Robin does with her sound next, and further, how she develops her palate to suit whatever musical direction she wants to take as an adult. This is a very exciting time in the history of music, and with young people like Penelope Robin at the forefront of indie culture, I’m confident that audiophiles have nothing to worry about as we enter this bold new era in pop.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thepennyrobin/

Bethany Page