Alice Brightsky is a lady we featured a few weeks ago as a promising talent and now with her album “Box of Me” she confirms her ability as a talent singer/songwriter with her blend of folksy pop rock with punch.
“Enter This World” perfectly kicks off the album with Alice’s high register soaring above the guitars and organs that form the various riffs and melodies that are then joined in sumptuous strings for the chorus. The lyrics themselves are beautiful as she describes the unborn waiting to come to life. “Pry Me Away” turns up the tension a crank with some clever percussion effects and some more electric guitar and strings that purge a single drawn note in-between fleeting and galloping acoustic guitar verses. It’s surprising how much Alice is able to rinse from relatively little electric guitar and make it go far. “Lover’s Fate” continues the delicate finger picking that underpins the album as Alice’s voice comes closer to the mic so you can feel every single inflection. It’s intimate and fragile but still with a bite to it and that’s a tricky thing to pull off.
“I Am” see’s things turn to a rockier edge with Alice stretching the power of her voice over a clever guitar riff that really works for moving your body to the track. However one of the best things is its ability to switch it up to a jazzy rock interlude which quickens the tempo and lets it all hand out before tightening back up for the next segment. It works fantastically well and is an album highlight. “Up Up and Away” is the most breezy track in comparison with light organs and open strummed chords and a summery chorus full of vibrant warm sounds. “Troubled Upbringing” brings back the brass to provide the big finale for the mid tempo track that has a waltzing angst to it. As is the case with the album “Girl You Hold Onto” flips back to a more airy feel but this time it’s provided by a warm vocal arrangement behind what is a minimal percussive/acoustic guitar arrangement of a cute song. The vocal hums and oohs really work to make the track stand out and feel slightly ethereal. Equally beautiful in its introverted delivery is “Tie and Untie” which has a complex acoustic guitar chord pattern which for the first half is only accompanied by a taut organ and vocals. It is eventually given some percussion for the second half but the track is so underplayed it feels like it’s constantly spinning and there’s a lethargy that’s set in.
“Canopy” pulls Brightsky back to more folk roots that then breaks out into a chorus fanfare of brass and fun sundance. It’s the effortless transition between whimsy folk and tight euphoria that’s impressive. “Dry” is the longest track on the album and it’s the most bluesy of the album. The interplay between acoustic guitar, vocal delivery and string embellishment make the song a quiet introspective song that manages a lot in its near six minutes. “Box of Me” is the closing track and returns to a warmer feel for a simple and pure nearly entirely two chord track.
Alice Brightsky’s début is self-assured and confident. It is wonderfully produced and does enough with the basic acoustic guitar rock formula to show that she’s capable of pouring plenty of ideas into the melting pot without forgetting what her core is. An exciting talent to watch in the future.