I usually get two or three playthroughs of a record before I review it, but fate conspired this week to keep this album in my car longer than usual. By the eighth or ninth consecutive listen there was no question whether I liked it or I didn’t. Verdict: I did.
Disc 1899 is… Among Other Things
Artist: Bella White
Year of Release: 2023
What’s up with the Cover? Bella has fallen backwards in her deck chair. Often falling backwards in your deck chair is a moment of hilarity for all concerned, but in this case it looks to be more of a romantic swoon.
How I Came To Know It: I read a review on Americana Highways and thought she sounded pretty good. Good enough to go find the record, in fact.
How It Stacks Up: I have both of the albums that Bella White has released so far. “Among Other Things” is the better one, so #1.
Ratings: 4 stars
I woke up today feeling my age, my back out of alignment, and cankers lining my mouth screaming in rage whenever I dared to eat or drink or speak. I admit my soul was tired too.
Fortunately, I’ve had just the right soundtrack for the moment. Bella White’s twangy folk/country mix is just the tonic for the world-weary. Not because it provides a balm, but because it reminds you that it is OK to feel the feels and encourages you to do some thinkin’ while you’re down there.
Putting on “Amongst Other Things” is a lot like stepping to a too-hot bath; at first a shock to the system, and then relaxing and meditative as you sink into it. White’s vocals are bright and penetrative and jump out at you with a burst of energy like she’s breaking the tension of silence over and over again.
Sounds painful, but it is quite the opposite. Her voice helps the stories she tells penetrate in deep, thoughtful thrusts that heal, rather than hurt. Kind of like the musical equivalent of acupuncture (I could use some of that today…).
White is also a talented guitarist, and her playing is similar to her singing, with deliberate and sometimes heavy picking in a bluegrass style that aligns well with her vocals, taking a back seat, but providing mood and structure back there.
The way she arranges the two instruments together was intriguing, with her vocals having short bursts that often alternate with the guitar, making her voice feel almost a capella in places, and lending itself to very creative phrasing choices that make the songs feel conversational, and full of asides. The effect pulls you in and helps to find the soft and caring content under the sometimes sharp peal of her delivery.
The songs are full of heartache, and a restless wandering quality. Many are about transition and change whether in a shifting or broken relationship, or the broader “what next” we all feel when we’re young. White is young (she made this record when she was 23) but you don’t have to be young to get it – that restless feeling sits inside all of us, all the time. Sometimes we need to access it - not necessarily to wander, but just to remember what it feels like. It’s therapeutic.
Alternating with the folksier tunes are those that fall into line with more traditional country arrangements. Overall I like these ones slightly less, but they are critical to the record (especially if listened to multiple times in succession), offering a different aspect to White’s voice and songwriting.
The record is chock full of great stories, but my two favourites are “Marilyn” and “Rhododendron” (not to be confused with the Hurray for the Riff Raff song of the same name).
“Marilyn” is a character study of a horrible sexist POS character, seen through the titular victim of his casual and not-so-casual cruelty. This song’s walkdowns and minor notes are perfectly matched to White’s mournful warble as she reminds us that out in the world there are women like Marilyn, enduring shitheads in silence behind the closed doors we drive by every day.
The other stand-out is “Rhododendron”, which meets the other main album theme – the inner exploration of the restless soul. The opening two stanzas are sublime – I reprint them here. Note the restless uncertainty created by putting the active verb at the end of the line. Cool, and three times more impactful when delivered by White’s exceptional vocal:
“As I look out my window, all I can see
Is a bush of rhododendron flowers staring back at me
And a mama robin, she is always working
Bringing worms and bugs to feed her young
While the snakes and house cats are lurking”
“All this time I've spent inside my head
Well, I've been hurting, Is the world still turning?
For this weight I bare leaves me so damn scared
I guess we've all been hurting like a little bird I'm learning”
Ever spent an afternoon looking out at the world thinking deep thoughts and feeling the feels (you know you have). Well, this song is for you. You’re not alone – get up, stretch the stiffness out of your neck, and get back to it.
I’m off to take Bella’s advice, and I wish you a pleasant and thoughtful journey, full of cares or free of them, as the day finds you.
Best tracks: Flowers on My Bedside, Marilyn, Rhododendron, The Best of Me, Among Other Things
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