Brush aside the obvious Americana/roots music influence permeating much of B.B. Cole’s songs for Of Love and Loss, her second full-length album, and you’ll see the collection’s core. At the end of the day, a sturdy singer/songwriter vibe guides these songs. It manifests under several guises – classic county complete with pedal steel, blues, bluegrass, and other influences are audible. Her storytelling bent is a critical part of the final product. However, the crowning touch is her voice.
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She would make her avowed vocal hero Loretta Lynn proud. Cole has an elastic voice capable of utilizing any texture. Opening with “(The Tale of) Lady Primrose” makes this apparent. Despite joining forces with noted American singer/songwriter Marc Miner, Cole’s evocative singing supplies the foundation for this stunning kick-off. Cole’s ability to dramatize the lyrics of these songs helps bring their already compelling narratives to further life. Playing off Miner adds another dimension as well.
“Poor Beatrice” is another instant winner. This track combines folk, bluegrass, heartland rock, and singer/songwriter craftsmanship into one of the collection’s most satisfying tunes. Cole and her bandmates achieve an easy, effortless glide with the song that gets under your skin fast. The burning heart of the album begins with the song “Wave of Love”. The presence of pedal steel guitar throughout the arrangement, while never omnipresent, nevertheless works as one of the track’s defining elements. Acoustic guitar and a strong backbeat further flesh out this track.
“The Lion and the Virgin” is another one that many will enjoy. Her penchant for story-songs continues with this tale. It’s interesting to hear how Cole balances familiar elements and tropes with enthralling lines that mark this as distinctly her own. Attentive listeners will catch each of those moments. She pursues a shuffle tempo for the track that grounds it in Americana, but it never sounds cliched. Her foray into pure electric blues with “The Sun Song” is another highlight. The lead guitar work is the major musical selling point of this cut and wrings every drop of drama from this performance. It’s one of the album’s deepest emotional dives.
Another peak moment in Of Love and Loss comes with “A Stolen Heart”. Some listeners may argue this is the album’s finest lyric and it treats willing listeners to a masterclass on economical, yet potent, lyric writing. The violin and occasional flourish of acoustic guitar give this enormous uplift. The relaxed demeanor of “She’s Not Gonna Do It” may make this track sound like a throwaway, but it isn’t. It is an entertaining and rewarding musical respite from the genre hybrids preceding it, but there’s more going on with this lyric than your first impression may allow.
“Hide and Seek” is Of Love and Loss’ climatic moment, in many respects, and lives up to such a billing. The gentle, yearning qualities of the arrangement give Cole an ideal platform for perhaps her best lead vocals yet. The parting coda of “Coffee Eyes” is memorable for an assortment of reasons. Cole’s delicate 4am in the morning vocals and the shimmering interplay between keyboards and other instrumentation make this an effective closer for one of 2024’s best albums.
Trace Whittaker