Tracy Bonham
Tracy Bonham’s third studio album blink the brightest is unquestionably (and perhaps unsurprisingly) a departure from her most well-known work, 1996’s The Burdens of Being Upright, which featured the smash single “Mother Mother.” blink the brightest never approaches the unbridled anger of that song, but it matches right up with the level of emotion and the bright, catchy songwriting.
If you’re a new Bonham fan (meaning “If you were living under a rock during 1996 and 1997” or “If you are 14”), the great opening track of the album, “Something Beautiful,” provides a nice overview of Bonham’s voice – it can go from a don’t-fuck-with-me alto to a soaring, effortless soprano in about five seconds flat. Bonham’s voice is equally effective in both ranges, but my favorite tracks on brightest all seemed to fall into the alto variety.
“Eyes” is a playful song in a manner reminiscent of tracks from Liz Phair’s Whip-Smart – there are cool lyrics, excellently kicky melodies, but the song is unmistakably grounded in something more serious. The thoughtful, frustrated “All Thumbs” is an effective, affecting ballad, and “dumbo sun” is full of, well, sunshine-y goodness.
What really makes this disc stand out from the crowd is Bonham’s straightforward voice. It’s not pretty by conventional standards, but its function is much more important than something so superficial – it’s an emotional wedge into her songs. When Bonham’s voice is combined with the powerhouse music on blink the brightest, the result is pop gold.
-- Jessica Netishen, 06/25/05 |
