I just
got through a rather long and arduous day at the office. At the end of it I
couldn’t bring myself to walk home or even catch the bus so I called a cab…which
didn’t show up. When I called back I discovered he was parked outside the pub
next door, no doubt picking up where I secretly wanted to be rather than where I actually was.
For all
that he was a good fellow with a tough job and despite the late hour, his day
was just beginning. I gave him a big tip for his trouble; perspective is
important in life.
Disc 1200 is… Making Me Break
Artist: Heather
Maloney
Year of Release: 2015
What’s up with the Cover? Maloney as mythical bird woman.
I guess when you sing this well, people just assume you’ve got some bird in
you. This amalgam of photography and art is by Kevin Hill, and the liner notes
are festooned with his re-imaginings of birds, flowers and pictures of Maloney,
all of them beautiful.
How I Came To Know It: I read about Maloney in a music
magazine and decided to check her out. I liked what I heard.
How It Stacks Up: I have two Heather Maloney albums and “Making
My Break” is number one. In preparing to write this review I see she has
released a new album in 2018 and I’m excited to find it as well.
Ratings: 5 stars
It doesn’t matter how long the day is, or how cold
the night; some records make your spirit soar. “Making Me Break” is one of those
records. Its opening song is “Linger
Longer” and from the very first notes it makes you want to do exactly that.
Which is what I did, eschewing music review writing (my apologies, dear reader)
so I could spend another day with the lovely and talented Heather Maloney.
It all begins with Maloney’s voice, which is a mix
of power, sweetness and a home-spun quality that reminds you that while “Making
Me Break” has pop song structures, it has a heart that is 100% folk.
“Linger Longer”
doesn’t say a lot – it is a simple song of love and redemption – but Maloney
throws herself into it with such joyful abandon you are instantly swept up into
her world. From here, she reveals an album filled with beautifully structured
little songs that seem a bit twee if you don’t pay attention, and filled with
thoughtful majesty when you do.
Maloney brings a thoughtful hippy vibe to her singer-songwriter
routine and she sees magic all around her. On “Otherwise” she looks around an urban setting and sees nature
blossoming out of every crack:
“Deer on the
highway
Seedling in
concrete
Spiders weaving
webs on the lamps of the streets
You are free.”
When she sings “Don’t
let them tell you otherwise” she could be encouraging her listeners to see
the same beauty, or maybe they’re just words of encouragement to all those deer
and plants and spiders. Either way, it is an uplifting sentiment.
This open-hearted innocence shines brightest on the
masterpiece, “Hey, Serena” a song
about Maloney learning that a friend from her childhood has become a stripper. Maloney
starts with a genuine concern that Serena is OK with her choices, not because
she is judging, but because she wants to better understand the context of the
journey.
Backed by a sparse production and lightly plucked
guitar, she explores how the girl she knew became the woman she is now, she
calls out a plea of “someone deliver me from my confusion”. Ultimately it is Maloney’s
own insightful mind and self-examined soul that guides her unerringly to all
the answer she needs as she resolves with:
“Hey, Serena, tell
me are you well? I can’t tell from here.
I know it must be
true that I’m projecting onto you my fear
Cuz I know how it
feels to count on sex-appeal to meet my needs.
Be it the rent to
pay, be it a power-play or love…or security.”
There’s two very tasteful but sexy photo/art pieces of
Maloney in the liner notes and they fit there as naturally as the pictures of
origami, dandelions and family portraits they line up beside. Looking at them
all, I was again struck by how well rounded and considered an artist Maloney is.
She was never judging. Instead she’s making sure her old friend is happy…and
joining her in solidarity at how Goddamned complicated it can be for a woman to
express her sexuality on her own terms.
On “Eighteen
Fifty-Five” Maloney points out that an old photo isn’t a whole life – it is
just a single moment in a lifetime of moments. Like the friend on “Hey, Serena” and the urban survivors on “Otherwise” her music insists you see a
full picture of her subject matter. because the more facets you
can see something from, the more bright and beautiful it becomes.
The combination of her sweet and easy vocal power matched
with a thoughtful and optimistic examination of the world around her creates a
record that fills you with a breathless wonder. On “Dandelion” Maloney sings “I
will crown you with whatever grows prettiest.” And this sums up how her record
approaches life in general. Some people have so much pretty inside it rubs off
on everything they touch. Or in Maloney’s case – whatever is lucky enough to
catch her attention long enough to inspire a song.
Best
tracks: all
tracks
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