It was a night at Tingewick Village Hall in 2018 that catapulted my interest in the music of Beth Bombara, thus highlighting how live performance can shed new light on an artist. On that Buckinghamshire evening, she was playing a show with Jaime Wyatt and in effect they were sharing the bill. Up to that point, there was a casual acquaintance via the 2017 MAP & NO DIRECTION album, but the deluge of new music and bands can be an unforgiving scene. In the wake of being mightily impressed by her set, there was a double whammy within the year of a new album that soared up the appreciation scale from the off. With EVERGREEN, the music of Beth Bombara had landed in its recorded status. The course of events between 2019 and 2023 inevitably infringed a majority of musicians. Patience for new music though has finally paid off with the release of IT ALL GOES UP, an album of distinguished guile and craft.
A new venture for Beth Bombara in 2023 has been a tie up with Black Mesa Records; a label with an international focus that can rejuvenate attention in this area. The impact of label collaboration is highlighted in the closing track where fellow Black Mesa musician John Calvin Abney popped into her St. Louis studio to lay down some instrumental tracks on the crowning closing track 'Fade'. This sumptuous lower key finale rotates the mood on an album that mixes ramped up rock and melodic bliss across its ten-track collection.
Away from the two pre-released promoted tracks that have their qualities widely showcased in the accompanying videos, the song that really sunk deep into my psyche was 'Electricity'. This hypnotic gem kicks into mesmeric gear half a minute in to induce a breath holding moment. A powerful chorus part supplemented by sublime guitar work levitates this song onto a higher plane. The lyrics also house the album title, which goes a long way to define the lyrical content of the record.
If you only dabbled with the singles, an element of partial worth would at least be accrued. 'Moment' sets the scene in the opening slot and tosses out a complement of matching up well against classic 70s rock west of the Mississippi. 'Everything I Wanted' drools with an amalgamation of smart input and adorable output. For the full worth of what Beth Bombara has achieved kick back and let the 37-minute exhibition take hold. Tags like folk-rock, indie-rock, singer-songwriter rock, Americana-rock play a part in one sense. In another good music suffices.
There is a soulful tinge to the midway track 'Carry the Weight' showing that vocals can play their part on a bunch of songs driven by prime production that captures the succinct instrumental playbook. The follow on track 'Curious and Free', which opens in a more stripped back fashion, widens the stringed input. You feel this track would benefit by a sound explosion that never comes. However that treat comes in the opening bars of the next number. 'Give Me a Reason' is a meatier effort, almost a little grungy.
The songwriting side of Beth Bombara illuminates on her ode to the pandemic, 'Lonely Walls'. Only in due time will the effect of 2020-21 resonate in the singer-songwriter community. I suspect a surge around now as release lead times optimise.
Laid back vibes echo from 'Get On', likewise a relaxed demeanour resurfaces in the penultimate track when 'What You Wanna Hear' further cements what makes this record one to lavishly devour, whether in travelling or chilling mode.
Since that evening in Tingewick Village Hall, Jaime Wyatt has seized a number of opportunities to further develop into an international touring artist. While no two situations for different artists are the same, Beth Bombara has a potentially willing fanbase and an increasingly valuable cannon of music in her locker to fulfil an overseas calling. Regardless of what the future holds, the unveiling of IT ALL GOES UP owns the present and enriches anybody who seeks out this classy release.
