I hear these ten songs as tentative bids for freedom from a fragile yet resilient soul honest enough to admit she is a coward at heart.
Being "able be withstand" (Nothing Yet) is a quality worth boasting about for someone who sings "I have always been a lonely soul" (Snowing Sideways).
Rebecca Pronsky is a native New Yorker and she recorded this album in hometown Brooklyn. As with her other works, it is produced by husband and guitarist Rich Bennett. Originally it was planned as a duo project but she subsequently opted to take advantage of assistance from some musical buddies.
Pronsky looks and sounds bookish and it's no surprise to learn that Joni Mitchell is her biggest musical influence. Nevertheless, her voice has none of Joni's grace and purity and is destined to be praised for its character rather than beauty.
Gondwanaland is a tune that, in part at least, is about fearing freedom and interrupting the sorrow.
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Her adventurous side is shown by her fascination with Amelia Earhart who disappeared in 1937 while attempting to circumnavigate the globe. A.E. is about this pioneering aviator and prototype feminist icon.
The one cover song is Heatwave which is not the Martha Reeves soul classic but the enigmatically moody piece Paul Buchanan wrote for The Blue Nile's debut album. Pronsky's take on this is workmanlike but brings nothing new to the table.
It is representative of the album as a whole in that it is solid and reliable but not unduly inspiring.
Rebecca Pronsky's website
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