I’ve always been a big fan of artists talented enough to pour old wine into new bottles.
We can consider B.B. Cole among their ranks. The European-born singer/songwriter returns with her sophomore album Of Love and Loss. It’s an ambitious twelve-song collection that consistently explores the aforementioned themes, love, and loss, from a variety of angles. Longtime music devotees, particularly those who love roots music, will recognize a lot of what’s going on over these dozen songs. Cole and her cohorts aren’t attempting to remake the musical wheel.
Of Love and Loss does better than that. It kicks the tires on bluegrass, blues, classic country, and other styles, finds they are still viable and proceeds to breathe new life into these otherwise well-worn forms. Some artists are gifted mimics, but they lack soul. They check off the obvious boxes while still missing an elusive something that elevates the performances. Not so with Cole. She feels this music to her marrow and filters it through her personality to craft something indelible.
I hear that in the opener “(The Tale of) Lady Primrose”. Much of the listeners’ attention will fall on the interaction between Cole’s voice and her duet partner, gifted ex-pat singer/songwriter Marc Miner, but a closer examination of the song’s nuts and bolts reveals this to be her baby, every bit as much as later songs sans a second vocal partner. Her abilities as a storyteller are paramount here and elsewhere. “Poor Beatrice”, the second track, can boast the same. It takes a different musical slant while still adhering to the foundational elements of Cole’s art.
I’m taken by the collision between gospel, pop, and country influences distinguishing the third song, “Close at Hand”. The choral backing vocals are especially effective juxtaposed against Cole’s exceptional lead vocals and the guitar has a lively tone that invites listeners into its web. “Wave of Love” beguiles listeners on several fronts, but I hear its most alluring trait as the way Cole’s voice radiates warm soul throughout the arrangement. Her singing also plays off the song’s pedal steel guitar exceptionally well.
“The Lion and the Virgin” will wow many as it did me. Marrying a straightforward shuffle arrangement with perhaps her best lyrics yet brings the simple and deep together in a seamless accord. “The Sun Song” ratchets up the stakes even higher. The bluesy burn Cole and her band achieve during this song are among the best moments she’s enjoyed as a recording artist and show, if we needed evidence, that she’s a gifted stylistic chameleon capable of inhabiting any form.
“A Stolen Heart” is stylized folk at its highest level. There’s a smattering of pop influences providing further polish to the piece, but the violin, acoustic guitar, and drums anchoring this song defy easy categorization. Of Love and Loss’ longest song, “Hide and Seek”, puts Cole’s personal stamp on a familiar theme of how the games of childhood often transform into adult games – especially how they show themselves during our often fledgling attempts to love and be loved. B.B. Cole’s Of Love and Loss succeeds for me in every way. I’m sure it will for you as well.
Claire Uebelacker