Sarahbeth Tucek - Sarabeth Tucek Album Review
Photo By:Cam Archer
Album Review
Music reviewers do seem to like voices. Powerful, angelic, pure or soulful, a great voice is something of a pass that allows admission to the singer-songwriter's club (presumably Tom Waits managed to sneak in through a back window). Progressing to the VIP room requires something to say with that wonderful voice, and the doormen by the entrance are large, serious and scrupulously unbribable.
Sarabeth fairly waltzes through the main entrance, as her voice could only be described dispassionately by a heartless acoustics professor. She mixes a palette of styles from large tubes of pure and ethereal, painting the album with textured sweeps of sound. The result is the kind of abstract 'colour canvas' that interior designers install in living rooms - providing a pleasant background without being arresting. It takes a great deal of effort to focus on the lyrics that Sarabeth delivers so beautifully, and the effort doesn't quite seem to be rewarded. When details do emerge from the music they deal with lost love and relationships simply yet opaquely. It's hard to find any direct declaration of feeling or emotion, with a consequent disconnection from the music.
The sparse guitar and measured delivery are instantly reminiscent of 'The Man Who' era Travis - an album that played an important role as aural background to my GCSE Art coursework. By the time my Geigeresque creation had emerged from the page (dripping with the earnestness and conviction that GCSE Art is liable to encourage) I knew every word to every song. Sarabeth's offering would have provided an equally pleasant environment to work in, but I can't imagine I'd still be able to sing it word for word.
Perfect as a background to flirtatious conversation, unabashed eye-locking or even Christmas dinner with the family - you may struggle to find a heart-stopping moment of truth amongst the heart-stopping purity of Sarabeth's voice.
