Albums that rank among the year’s best are sometimes unexpected. Occasionally it’s the new voice breaking through, an outstanding band or individual artist debuting with a scintillating promise for the future that essentially clears out the competition. Other times it’s a veteran performer or outfit recapturing lost glories or finding their footing when others begin to write them off.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: https://bbcole.rocks/
It can also happen when one of those aforementioned new voices takes a notable step with their follow-up. Sophomore slumps are real. Music history is full of insistences when much-ballyhooed promise bellies up for its second go-around and disappoint virtually everyone. B.B. Cole avoids that fate. Her new collection, Of Love and Loss, includes twelve songs, and two duets and builds on the success of her first album, Outgrowing Ourselves, while looking towards an even brighter tomorrow.
“(The Tale of) Lady Primrose” sets the stakes high for Cole. The songwriting strives to tell a story bursting with character and action alike. Still, lyrics are definitely different from poetry, prose, or film and demand a selective touch. Cole builds her portrait of the witchy title character with admirable aplomb. Marc Miner’s contributions to the performance are notable, he’s an excellent duet partner particularly given the writing, but Cole’s singing is the true core.
“Poor Beatrice” shares crucial characteristics with the first cut. The storytelling encompasses much different fare than its predecessor, but the same attention to significant details and skillful economy defining the opener makes its presence felt here. Historical precedence exists for the song’s character but ultimately doesn’t matter. Cole writes with enough imaginative authority to claim the story as her own rather than inspiring listeners to compare it with recorded facts. Her lyrical dramatization of the character’s plight quickly hooks listeners and holds us close.
Of Love and Loss reaches one of its most buoyant moments with “Close at Hand”. Clean melodic lines from the guitar supply one uplifting phrase after another, and the accompanying choral backing vocals are a welcome touch of gospel. Cole, as ever, sounds comfortable with the style. The Austrian-born singer is a stylistic chameleon who never comes off flat-footed and never hesitates to follow her Muse wherever she leads. “Wave of Love” is another instance of redemptive aesthetic beauty. Moving pedal steel contributions highlight key points of the arrangement, and Cole’s gentle, ruminative vocals offer an exquisitely balanced response. Kudos to the production for how well it captures the aforementioned pedal steel.
PURCHASE LINK: https://music.apple.com/us/album/of-love-and-loss-feat-lorae/1770706817
Kudos as well to how it treats all of the material alike. The sonic consistency pervading Of Love and Loss continues with the smooth, uninterrupted flow of “The Lion and the Virgin”. Cole contrasts one of the album’s best lyrics with a clear-cut classic country arrangement. The latter likewise highlights her strengths as a singer. “A Stolen Heart” will arguably contend with this song as Of Love and Loss’ pinnacle. She continues showing her daring with this hybrid folk/bluegrass/singer-songwriter number hinging upon a heartbreaking chorus as its ultimate payoff.
“Hide and Seek” may run a little long for assorted listeners. The vast majority of those encountering this song will feel different. It’s the album’s broadest musical tapestry and ties many of the album’s musical threads together into a cohesive statement. Much of it is summation, but Cole states it impressively. It will stand as another of the album’s best moments. B.B. Cole’s Of Love and Loss is full of meaningful moments, top-notch playing, and soul-bearing vocals that demand repeated listens.
Levi Colston