The stunningly complete and beautiful
third album from Scottish born singer/songwriter Kathy Muir is a cause for
celebration. Second Life is an eleven song collection concentrating primarily
on relationships, but it isn’t strictly a downbeat affair. Muir explores a full
range of human emotions connected with the experience of sharing our lives with
other people and her songwriting abilities enable her to create ideal sonic
landscapes for exploring these themes. She has surrounded herself with a first
class assembly of collaborators who help elevate the drama far above the
mundane. Not all of the songs adhere to a strictly Americana label – instead,
some utilize pop and rock song dynamics with unexpected musical approaches. The
primary thrust of the album is acoustic, but there’s a rowdy spirit in some
songs that undercuts the laid back feeling pervading the album as a whole.
Some of that rowdy spirit comes through
on the first two tracks. “Lucky One” and “Better Man” both start out as muted
acoustic based numbers but gradually build a head of steam before transforming
into full blown band numbers by the second half of the song. The gradual
mounting of tension on both tracks is handled with great patience and good
instincts “Simply That” finds Muir moving backwards by design and serving up
the album’s purest example of blues with a stripped back, essentials-only feel.
She responds to the musical change of mood with her own shift downgear and
brings a lot of surprising, to some perhaps, gravitas to her singing. The
lyrical content on the aforementioned songs is all quite superb, particularly
“Better Man”.
“Stop Messin’ Me Around” revisits some
of the album’s rowdy early spirit in a distinctly different package. The
rockabilly thrust of the album is quite different from any preceding songs, but
it isn’t a purist affair. Instead, it’s a retro nod with a strongly modern air
and assertiveness that never becomes unduly aggressive or slips off the rails. “Born
by the Water” features stunning lyrical imagery paired with a powerfully
consistent, direct acoustic guitar attack. Muir’s voice, seemingly aware of the
lyrical quality, sounds much more inspired here than her earlier fine
performances and it helps make this track a less-than-obvious sleeper on the
release.
The album’s second to last song,
“Troubled Town”, is Muir at her most vulnerable. The song is nothing but her
voice, words, and piano accompaniment. The songwriting and her singing must
stand on their own more than ever before in this context both succeed
spectacularly. “Troubled Town” has vividly written lyrical content that seems
to focus on both the personal and a larger macro and the haunting music
matching her on keys is perfectly tuned to the narrative mood. The album’s
finale is a title song that hints at whole new directions possibly opening up
for Muir. The union of classically themed backing with her vocals pays off
nicely and creates a great deal of epic drama on Second Life’s final song. The
lyrics also strike a strongly redemptive note that ends the album well.
9 out of 10 stars
Charles Hatton
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