Basia Bulat sings away whatever heartbreak she brings to this record by turning what apparently started out as slow acoustic ballads into bright pop songs. The emphasis is on overcoming the past rather than dwelling on 'what-might-have-beens'.
To meet this resolve, the Canadian singer employed the services of My Morning Jacket's very own Jim James and recorded her fourth album on his home turf at Louisville, Kentucky.
The record has a contemporary feel yet with direct and straightforward arrangements which recall the poptastic age of Motown and the Sixties.
Only the pulsing backdrop to The Garden hints at studio trickery; otherwise experimentation is kept to a minimum and the tunes are left relatively uncluttered. The advantage of this is that it allows Bulat's rich, slightly bluesy, voice to take centre stage.
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She comes across assertively yet her vulnerability is also evident on the title track and for Fool she portrays herself as anything but a femme fatale.
At the same time she is no doormat. On Let Me In a partner is urged to make up his mind and she sings "you'd better hurry" to make it absolutely clear who's calling the shots here.
The relatively conventional nature of these songs means that nothing stands out as truly unique although Bulat's distinctive and confident voice is strong enough to bring a freshness to these break up songs.
Basia Bulat's website
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