Beth Bombara
Evergreen
Lemp Electric
A Stepping-Stone in the Right Direction For Alt. Country Stardom.
While many of my peers were instantly smitten by Beth Bombara’s last recorded outing Map and No Direction, I couldn’t get my head around it and thought the title very apt indeed.
Jump forward a couple of years and I’m not 100% sure I’m listening to the same singer and songwriter (I am btw).
There’s a new self-confidence and maturity in not just Beth’s writing, but her singing too, starting with the criminally beautiful I Only Cry When I’m Sad. The title says it all really and add Beth’s rich and earthy vocals to Samuel Gregg’s crunch electric guitar and Mike Schurk’s ‘enhanced heartbeat’ drumming and you have an almost perfect Country Heartbreaker.
It’s quite clear to hear that Beth and band have honed these songs on the road, as there’s hardly a note or phrase out of place anywhere; and Karl Kling and Kit Hamon’s production must surely mirror the sound Ms. Bombara had in her head when she entered the studio.
When you listen to Upside Down, Tenderhearted or Criminal Tongue it’s as if Beth must have alternated Lucinda’s WORLD WITHOUT TEARS and Tom Petty’s FULL MOON FEVER on the van stereo and thought ….. “I can do that too.”
And she can!
There’s a lot of that nascent Alt. Country here; but Beth is also very capable of throwing a curve-ball to keep you on your toes; the maudlin All Good Things finds Beth mostly singing; (or is it pouring her heart out?) alongside John Calvin Abney at the piano and earlier on the epic Anymore she and her band bring that Alt. Country ‘sound’ right up to date; and then some!
Although Beth Bombara comes from Missouri and now lives in St. Louis, this All American gal sure sounds very Canadian here ……. I mean that in the most complimentary manner. There’s a sharpness to her her songs that I usually associate with bands and singers from way Up North; rather than the Southern States.
Which all brings me around to the RMHQ Favourite Song; not an easy choice as the title track Evergreen is the most commercial song here and may even be ‘too Country’ for Country Radio; but a gentle nudge in the right direction and it is perfect for daytime radio.
Then there is Criminal Tongue which is razor-sharp, cool and articulate, with Beth coming across as a alluring combination of Bobbie Gentry and Dusty Springfield fronting Crazy Horse!
This is a very special album and has all the hallmarks of being the stepping-stone that my fellow reviewers hinted at two years ago; it’s fair to say Beth Bombara certainly has a map and a definite direction now …… The Top!
Released 9th August 2019
https://www.bethbombara.com/
https://bethbombara.bandcamp.com/merch
The Rocking Magpie 