REVIEW: Maryanne, Your First, Your Last, Your
Everything
- Chris Hill
The albums that sync with one's consciousness are rare and treasured. In those seven minutes before one falls asleep, these are the albums that pop up on the mental jukebox, staving off sleep with lyrics that resonate with clever writing or human observation and music that brims with addictive hooks and flair. Then, as time goes by, the pole position changes as songs reveal unnoticed facets and shine with newfound light - these albums continually reintroduce themselves, even as they age into old friends. Sidewinders/Sand Rubies singer David Slutes now adds another entry to that list: his first album with side-project Maryanne.
"See You in September" sets the hook immediately with a Lothario caught pants down when one of his twelve women arrives unexpectedly, outside her scheduled month ("In June I saw May, in April I saw June/In February I saw Mary...I'll see you in September"). Sunny and engaging, as guitar pop should be, with enough alliteration to tease and delight, yet not overwhelm. "Record Collection", its bookend, is another excellent example of lyrical wordplay. A tribute to the vinyl that inspires fanatical devotion, the song namedrops various artists, while praising the justified longevity of the medium.
"Under the Weather" is a song which should be quoted in its entirety. The lyrics reveal the complexities of a decayed relationship with oblique references - the forces that attract and repel simultaneously at work between the couple. "See, way out here/There's only you and I and this sunken sky/to hear all the lies we tell each other". Camping in the desert, in the place "we hoped we wouldn't find each other", the song title applies both to their physical location and their love. It's an image that carries weight and power.
The same power is present, either overtly or covertly, throughout the release. "A Long, Long Time" is a cry for space away from a woman sending mixed, post-breakup messages ("You say you're lonely/If you're lonely, why then/is everything fine?"). "Alaska" pleads for the same space in a physical sense, setting the state up as a haven from whatever demons and disappointments plague the writer. "Wretched Song" lovingly looks at the impact of 70's radio, when trite clichés gained relevance thanks to the airwaves. "Horoscope" plays a man with his feet on the ground against a woman with her eyes on the stars, his realistic nature at odds with her trust in a cosmic force.
"Everyone Knows" reunites Slutes with Paula Jean Brown, who previously appeared on the Sidewinders' "Came On Like the Sun". The duet trades barbs with edgy wit: "If hope was a rope, you would have me twisting in the wind", "You'd think you were a catch by the way you act/I know you're lazy, Mom thinks you're on crack". Brown's sweet voice takes some of the sting from the words, but not enough to foil their intent.
Two covers round out the ten tracks - Leonard Cohen's fantastic "Chelsea Hotel" revitalized by strong electric guitar work and 20/20's "Yellow Pills", a lustrously glossy rendition.
Comprised of Slutes, guitarist Robin Johnson, bassist Kelly Burd, and drummer Winston Watson - all reputable Tucson musicians - Maryanne's a formidable combo. Rich Hopkins, the Sand Rubies' guitarist, has proven he's got more than one ace up his sleeve with his Luminarios releases. It's satisfying to see David Slutes prove the same with Your First....
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