2012 Remainder Reviews - Beth Hart - My California

Artist: Beth Hart
Album: My Californiabr/> Label: Provogue Records / Mascot Label Group Released: 2012 (US)
http://www.bethhart.com

In the interest of moving things along, let's acknowledge for those uninitiated to Beth Hart, that she will pretty quickly remind anyone who listens to her of Janis Joplin.

Thankfully, there's a whole lot more to Hart than sounding similar to a classic rock legend. Instead, she uses her voice to carve her own musical path that has me raving about every album she has ever released. While her profile in the States is far less than she deserves, Hart has managed to become a big star in Europe. That might be changing though after she and Jeff Beck blew the roof off of The Kennedy Center Honors with their salute to Buddy Guy. Their performance of I'd Rather Go Blind is something you have to check out on Youtube.

I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't even know that My California had been released. Thankfully I found out that while the original release of this album came in both Europe and Scandinavia back in 2010, the US release was in 2012.

Once I found out of the album's existence, I used my extensive music contacts (okay, eBay) to track down a copy of the CD. It was well worth the wait believe you me.

While Hart has expressed a fondness for speed metal in the past, her full on rocker mode is not nearly as in evidence on this disc as it has been on other releases. This album is more along the lines of a confessional singer/songwriter arc, which is something she has always had as a part of her songwriting. Here, it is definitely pushed to the forefront.

Danish songwriter and producer Rune Westberg was heavily involved in the creation of the album. He produced and co-wrote the 12 songs, also playing both guitar and bass on the tracks as well.

Make no mistake, this is definitely Beth's show. Her lyrics shine brightly, managing to make them resonate deeply, which I found interesting since I don't actually have anything in common with some of the subject matter in the songs.

The bonus track on the album is a cover of the Lulu song Oh Me Oh My and unlike the rest of the material, this song is very raw. Just Beth and a piano. That lack of production flash doesn't take away what is a very epic feeling track. The rest of the album has a far more produced/polished sound to it, but I didn't have a problem with that fact. The rough edges might be smoothed over a bit, but it doesn't take away from the overall quality.

You'll find a track like Love Is The Hardest seeming to have quite a depressing tone to the lyrics but the phrasing/delivery and the overall quality of said lyrics gives you a different sort of appreciation. Even a lesser track like Drive has some great guitar work in it. Everybody Is Sober just rocks out from beginning to end.

What really sells the album is the ability of Hart to turn a phrase that comes out of nowhere and just stuck with me after the song and album finished. I've been playing this album for a week now (even listening as I write this review) and I'm still blown away by some of the lyrics.

The song Sister Heroine is about Hart's late sister and features Slash on guitar. His playing is restrained until the end of the song where he gets to rock a bit. I loved the line in the chorus "Goodbye white trash beauty queen / Your crooked heart and your beat up dreams". There was a change in one line of the song from what was written in the CD booklet. The line "No more liars, tramps or thieves" saw "thieves" get changed to something that was completely unintelligible to me and I've tried to catch it over and over again.

The best songs on the disc are the title track and Like You (And Everyone Else), with the latter track moving from a mid-tempo pace and picking things up over the course of the song. As for what Hart has to say in the song, she again demonstrates an uncanny ability to craft lyrics that dig deep into whomever is listening. A single line "with oceans of dreams and seas of confusion" might not seem like much out of context with the rest of the song but its the phrasing that helps set Hart apart from her contemporaries. The ending of the song includes this lyric "Walk in the rain / Let it fall on my face / There's a shadow of doubt / but a sky full of grace".

As for the title track, it opens slow and kind of remains that way for the entirety of the song but the lyrics drip with emotion as Hart's performance soars. It is simply breathtaking how magnificent this one turns out. The chorus is outstanding:

For you and you alone
I will lay my monsters down
We'll watch the sun come up over California
For you and you alone
I'll find my way back home
And I'll love you like the sun loves California

Even my cold dead heart was moved by this emotional kick to the head.

While I may have been long delayed in coming to the party for Beth Hart's My California, I'm here now and there isn't an ounce of regret. From being introduced to Beth Hart by seeing her perform on the top of a van outside of Fenway Park in Boston before a Red Sox game, she has never let me down as a performer and that streak continues here.

I'll take a trip to Hart's California any time.