When I was young I didn’t trust anything I perceived as being too popular. I missed out on a lot of good music as a result. Frankly, I still do,.
This next artist is monster popular to a degree rarely seen on the Odyssey, but I’ve managed to get past this. Talent has that effect.
Disc 1940 is… …Guts
Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
Year of Release: 2023
What’s up with the Cover? The arrestingly pretty Olivia Rodrigo flashes us a vampish glance.
Does she, as the album title suggests, have guts? Why yes, all over her hand in fact in the form of her jewelry and – spoiler alert – all over this record in the form of her songs.
How I Came To Know It: A friend put me onto Rodrigo’s debut record. This one was me just buying her latest, having been previously hooked.
How It Stacks Up: I have three Olivia Rodrigo albums, which is all of them. They are all good, and it is hard to pick a favourite, but I’m going to pick “Guts” as mine. At least for now.
Ratings: 4 stars but almost 5
It would be hard to predict Olivia Rodrigo would immediately top the brilliance of 2021’s “Sour” but here she is on record #2, topping it. On “Guts” we see an artist growing before our eyes, with edgier songs, more range of production and theme and a pop-perfect voice that is bigger and more badass than ever.
Some artists are “old souls” but there is also greatness in an artist that is just unapologetically and perfectly situated in their own age, and their own place. They’re comparable to nothing other than their own immediate experience, with a magnetism that pulls the listener inexorably into their orbit. This is the universe that Olivia Rodrigo invites us into.
On “Sour” we encountered a teenage Rodrigo, exploring coming of age, and on “Guts” we are treated to a woman leaving her teens, blossoming into the beauty and majesty of the world with all its marvels and devils.
Before I go any further, I am compelled to note that more than half the songs on this record are straight up A+ bangers as well. There’s no need to explore the inner depths of the adult world without having some effervescent sing-a-long action while you do it. Enjoy!
The opener, “All-American Bitch” is an excellent example, a song that bounces between a folksy guitar pluck and a crunchy B section of thump and crash that had me imagining Avril Lavigne at her peak.
“All-American Bitch” is also an early signal that “Guts” is a masterclass of production and arrangement. The song showcases Rodrigo’s sweet pop vocals, also shows she can rock out, and leaves the listener reveling in the repeated shifts between styles. The first time you hear it, it surprises you, and every time thereafter you have the delicious anticipation of expecting them. The more you listen, the more fun it gets. That’s pop at its best.
“Bad Idea, Right?” is an example of Rodrigo taking on more mature themes. In this case – a booty call she knows is a bad idea, but makes anyway. The song is playful and joyful, but it’s also a cautionary tale.
“Vampire” comes next. Just like the structure of an individual pop song, the album knows to put the best song tastefully in third place. Far enough in to leave you anticipatory every time you drop the needle, near enough that you don’t have time to start fidgeting about it.
Whoever “Vampire” is about (and theories abound) it is a master class in pacing, melodic structure, lyrical brilliance and a stunning showcase of every corner of Rodrigo’s vocals. You’ll hear power, phrasing, and sweetness, all wrapped in a churning undercurrent of regret and anger. You will also be compelled to sing along every time you hear this. When you do, please sing the real lyrics – with all the curse words – and not the irritating radio sanitized version. Fortunately only the “real” version is on the record.
While Rodrigo has plenty of vitriol for those that have wronged her, it is also an unflinching look inward. “Bad Idea, Right?” shows that even the smartest girls get urges, and “Making the Bed” is a song about owning your shit. Becoming a star this massive at such a young age can’t be easy, but Rodrigo embraces the self-exploration of all of it – the change, the effect it has on you and in the end, the recognition that whether we are behaving at our best or our worst, it’s still our choice at each step of the journey.
On “Making the Bed” you can see a talented singer-songwriter who finds herself in a very big moment and is not only up for the challenge, but aware and confident enough to share a song about it.
A shout-out is in order for Rodrigo’s songwriting collaborator and album producer Dan Nigro. Nigro pulls every single pop album trick in the book on “Guts”. He skillfully navigates through shifts in different instrumentation: sometimes piano, sometimes guitar, sometimes percussion. Usually it’s a seamless progression of several movements, all blended seamlessly in a three-minute pop song. Making songs this catchy is not as easy as Nigro makes it sound.
My only regret is looking back to discover I put “Guts” at #10 on my Best Albums of 2023 list.
It should be higher.
Best tracks: All-American Bitch, Bad Idea Right?, Vampire, Lacy, Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl, Making the Bed, Get Him Back!
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