Tracy Bonham Blink The Brightest

Right out of the gate of Tracy Bonham’s debut album for Zoe Records, Blink the Brightest, is a vibrant and yearning song of love’s pining for reciprocation wrapped in gauze of shoe gazer melodies. The song, “Something Beautiful,” is single material and sets the stage for the kind of music style that awaits you. Tracy’s girl-fronted band is typical of the genre stylish for its gorgeous vocals and pop music, soft and introspective. Tracy’s lyrical evaluations of the world and its turnings are interestingly phrased and melodically framed, revealing a song craft that can easily capture your ears.

A discordant violin begins “and the world has the nerve to keep turning” where Tracy questions the greed of life, wondering why nature even allows such slights to occur. Tracy has a gift for melody but there’s a bit of the lonely quirk involved as well. While she may sing-talk her way through some of her well-structured pop tunes, her choruses are well sung and can stick to your memory. There’s a dash of Shania Twain in some of her stuff with a healthy dose of existence angst blended in. We all wish for the best in our world (“And The World Has The Nerve to Keep Turning”; we yearn for days gone past (“Dumbo Sun”) and perhaps regret days lived (“Did I Sleep Through It All?”); we all feel unprepared and inadequate (“All Thumbs”), with love lost/betrayed or love won.

Overall, Tracy Bonham has crafted a sincere and listenable album that explores the span of our lives. And she has done a nice job of it.