Review by Rachel Jablonski
Despite an appealing sound, there is uneasiness about latest work from Kelly Buchanan, folk/pop/rock singer who emerged from the Boston rock scene with her acoustic solo debut, A Bipolar World, in 1999. Now a New Yorker, the singer/guitarist has released a third album (following a record called Match completed in 2002), which is full of troubled, uneasy, and descriptive lyrical content on love, sex, and relationships. The mix of acoustic and rock songs, along with many great vocal hooks, mask the often troubled words. Due to the great diversity of styles within the album, the daring composition of Bastard Daughter could very well appeal to a very diverse audience, fans of folk, pop, rock, punk, and maybe even adult contemporary.
The album begins with a rock edge. A track called “Ummmm” is a 12 second, energetic rock intro that fades out after, well, twelve seconds. “Letter in Your Mailbox” then breaks in with extremely poppy vibe musically and innocently blunt vocals. …shout the truth hey do you care about me too? You are not just a one night stand… The bubblegum-like “Volcanic Lover,” also about issues of love, has a catchy chorus, but the lightheartedness of the tune isn’t appealing to a craver of rock. “Cocaine” is a heartfelt rock song with powerful lyrics and heavy guitar riffs. It is one of the better rock songs on the album. But then there’s also “Piggyback Ann,” a very punk, fast tempo song with constant bang on the snare drum and vocal wails about a girl that gets around. In case the listener misses the fact that the song is very punk, at the end of the track someone yells “PUNK ROCK!”
The punk/rock edge of the album works, but this isn’t the overall strength. Acoustic songs seem to be a better fit for Kelly and when she plays such the album gains a lot of power. “Favorite Jeans” is a sweet song full of acoustics and great vocals. The conviction of her voice as she hits some great notes is stunning and very effective. It is one of the best songs on the album with a great sense of passion. However, it is in some of the most passionate songs that much of the uneasiness of album is revealed.
Sex… love… legs… thighs… bastard daughter… rape… abuse…
The descriptive and symbolic lyrics of Bastard Daughter vividly expose aspects of sexual encounters. The strength in the voice of Kelly Buchanan is haunting as she sings about sex, mostly in a negative light. The words and presentations are powerful; the listener is thrown into the distress of abuse. “Body Bag” is a very well composed song both musically and vocally. It has great melody, a calm and steady tempo, and great hooks, but it is disturbing, very disturbing, lyrically. With lyrics like it’s a sad world with a man so sick in the head he thinks a woman’s life is worth less than a hole between her legs… do you want to go home in a body bag…, along with other intense descriptions …his finger traced my thighs I counted ceiling tiles and I cried…, create a clear picture of the ills of rape. It is hard to digest, especially when the song is beautifully composed in sound.
Also beautifully composed is “Lullaby,” a soft acoustic song that is dark in tone. It is in songs like these that Kelly seems to shine most. The echo of her acoustic guitar and memorable voice is simply captivating. Any uneasiness that may have previously existed is completely melted away with this song.
Bastard Daughter is a great effort showcasing a mixture of styles and messages that will have appeal to a diverse set of listeners. I expect to hear more from Kelly Buchanan in the near future.