I picked up Please Be Mine the 2017 debut album by Americana/Indie artist Molly Burch when it first came out and jolly good it is too. It has featured here before
I gave it it's first listen in a while recently and it got me thinking that I was not familiar with anything else she had released since. First Flower the 2018 follow up, also on Captured Tracks seemed a good place to start.
In a generally positive review on Pitchfork the author Vrinda Jagota writes On her debut, last year’s Please Be Mine, Burch focused on the tribulations of romantic love. The songs were polished and luxurious, buoyed by jazzy instrumentals and her characteristically smoky vocals. On First Flower, it is clear that her range and control have improved. She deftly pivots from a husky smolder to billowing vibrato to the airiness of tulle blowing in the wind. The subjects of her songs have diversified, too: While she still writes about romance, she also turns inward, exploring what she desires from relationships and how her anxieties affect her interactions with other people.
Mike Vinti from Loud and Quiet writes "it’s not that this is any less personal than that first outing, but more that Burch has embraced the parts of her craft that set her apart, most obviously her unmistakable voice.
I must admit that I found it a bit challenging on the first listen. To me it is a bit more intense than the debut but I may feel different after a couple more listens.
The first album was so good that I felt a little disappointed with this one. Gotta say, though, it grew on me. Stick with it. Now, I don’t know if you know or not, but she had a new album last year with a pop bent aimed squarely at the charts that I hated so much I can’t imagine ever buying anything by her again.
ReplyDeleteThat's a bit worrying after the dreaded Christmas album.
DeleteI shall persevere with First Flower
I bought the Christmas album as well. A few too many guests on it. I think I would have preferred a lower-key affair... perhaps guitar and voice. Still, I have the first two albums to keep me happy. They really are quite good.
DeleteInterestingly enunciation but I think I could grow to like Ms Burch.
ReplyDeleteCouple of great tracks there. I've added First Flower to my 'wants list'. Bit concerning to read the down comments about her latest ventures but....loads of artist have been sh*t after a good start so let's wait and see and enjoy what was good about them at the start. This could be a future theme for you - Good debut, sh*t thereafter!
ReplyDeletePlenty to choose from there!
Delete