For those of you out there who wanted to like Adele, but quickly realized that she's not as different from the Katy Perry/Pink/Britney Spears contingent as she appears (just check the album credits), there is actually a songstress who can sing the phone book who doesn't rely on the same song doctors as everyone else...well, not yet, at least.
Her name is Arleigh Kincheloe (a.k.a Sister Sparrow) and the latest album that she and her band The Dirty Birds have released, Gold, is the album Adele can never make because, at the end of the day, she's a major label pawn beholden to a revolving door of industry-approved collaborators.
By comparison, Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds are a band that has grown from humble beginnings the old-fashioned way; by hard work, word-of-mouth, and, most importantly, great material.
As a result, while Arleigh may be the primary songwriter, all songs and arrangements are a collaborative effort among group members that results in an album that covers a lot of ground instead of falling into simply "ballads" and "non-ballads".
Being a self-contained unit has its advantages, but it also keeps the major label industry at bay because no major label these days would think of taking on such an act without forcing their will upon them in one way or another.
Of course, it remains to be seen how far the band can go without feeling the need to sacrifice a certain amount of independence in exchange for access to the promotional machine that only a powerful major label can offer. One is hopeful that the band can continue to grow, both artistically and commercially, without such concessions.
If Gold is any indication, the majors would only mess with the existing chemistry, which is, in a word, stunning.
While the band's approach is a stark throwback to when bands actually went into a recording studio and played, this is still as contemporary an album as you're bound to hear. There are flourishes of R&B and Americana throughout that might have you checking to see if this album didn't come out in 1968, but the amazing thing is that it could have and therein lies this band's charm.
Of course, much of that charm emanates from the voice of Sister Sparrow, herself, who even manages to "out-Britney" Britney on "Bad Habit" before taking on Diana Ross & The Supremes on the very next track, "Can't Get You Off My Mind".
The album's stunner of a tune, though, is "Plastic Paradise", which showcases both singer and band in a glorious nod to Phil Spector's Wall of Sound.
What's most perfect is that Sister Sparrow understands an album is ten songs, no more, no less, and that there is no crime in saving much of the best for last, as this is an album that gets stronger the deeper you dive into it.
Album closer, "You're My Party" takes on Daft Punk/Nile Rodgers and, against all odds, comes up with a song that would be a highlight on either of those artists's recent releases.
Tags:
heavy as gold