Artists like B.B. Cole are leading traditional Americana songwriting and music into the 21st century. We’re almost two and a half decades into this New Millennium, and there’s something deeply reassuring about it when an Austrian-born musical, vocal, and songwriting talent latches onto roots music with conviction. It speaks to the enduring value of that music.
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Cole doesn’t stop there. Her first album Outgrowing Ourselves introduced her as a performer, singer, and songwriter willing and able to stretch the songwriting limits. She has the needed imagination and sense of personal stakes to say the familiar in a highly individualized way. Her second album Of Love and Loss exponentially expands on the debut’s promise.
She’s casting her nets further than before. Cole’s album intends, by the title’s implication, to deliver her personal statement about what love and loss mean to her at this point in life. She’s confident in her ability to say something personal, entertaining, and rewarding about these timeless themes. It’s deceptively ambitious. The first notice of her intentions arrives with the opener “(The Tale of) Lady Primrose”. She shares the song’s vocal spotlight with singer/songwriter Marc Miner, and they are a perfect duo for conveying this story about the first of several heartsick or otherwise thwarted characters sprouting from Cole’s imagination.
The rock muscle of the opener is just one of Cole’s many colors. She segues from the first song’s surging bluster into the comparatively laid-back country rock of “Poor Beatrice”. The relaxed sound masks another dark narrative, but Cole’s personality makes it a compelling listen. It’s one of the best lyrics on the release, and dark humor gives it a delicious edge. “Wave of Love” grabs our attention for different reasons, but one of its chief merits is the often lyrical pedal steel guitar scattered throughout the arrangement. Cole has her stylistic detours but always returns to a core country sound where she excels. It’s no different here.
“The Lion and the Virgin” underlines that. The song’s country arrangement is practically archetypal, skillfully delivered, and supplies Cole with a sleek vehicle for the lyrics. It’s one of the finest cuts. She takes a sharp left into one of those aforementioned stylistic detours with its successor. “The Sun Song” is a powerful blues that Cole strengthens with his smoky yet muscular vocal presence. It’s impressive how she can handle multiple vocal approaches without showing any cracks.
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“My Stolen Heart” is another peak for this album. There’s a slightly more European quality to this song. It’s not easily defined, but the windswept qualities of the violin playing have a role. The highlight of the performance is Cole’s masterful handling of another top-notch lyric. It’s the same case with the album’s final showstopper. “Hide and Seek” is an impassioned summation of themes guiding the previous nine songs that likewise gain from one of its best arrangements and musical performances. B.B. Cole can record for another forty years and maintain an excellent standard as a songwriter and performer, and Of Love and Loss will still rank as one of her best. It’s a defining time for her as an artist.
Troy Johnstone