Lake Street Dive's album Bad Self Portraits escaped my grasp last year, it's a great album, there are a lot of groups exploring soul music in a unique way not merely aping the well known sounds of Motown and Memphis. This album deftly weaves it's own style not sticking to the foundations of soul this album expands it's palette towards gospel, garage soul and rockabilly. The sultry vocals of Rachael Price and the precise backing of Mike Olson, Bridget Kearney and Mike Calabrese give this album a sense of sophistication and depth.
The jaunty title track whilst swathed in some funky uptempo soul speaks of lasting loneliness and the sense of regret as they years pass,
I bought this camera
To take picture of my love
Now that his gone I don't have anyone to take pictures of
A lonesome highway is a pretty good subject
I'm going to make myself make use of this
I'm taking landscape, I'm taking still lifes
I'm taking bad self portraits of a lonely woman
Stop Your Crying continues the soul stomping this captures some of the wistful vocal interplays of early 70's soul, this time with a harder bluesier edge. Better Than is softer more gospel, with the hard glinting edges removed, the softness and elegance of Price's voice is fully captured. Rabid Animal has a funky bassline, wry and playful the same sense of futility captured on the title track.
Another night wasted
In my parents basement
I could almost taste it
Why did I ever go back home
All night you've got me running like a rabid animal
No bite how will I ever find you
An adonis with no light
You Go Down Smooth has a rockabilly feel and then steps it up, Use Me Up continues that sense of heading towards danger head first but with a more resigned and contemplative feel. Bobby Tanqueray has a torch feel and sounds a little like early 80's B52's. Can't wait to see these guys live as part of the Summersault festival in February.
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