REVIEW: Vagabond Lovers, When I Was You (Monarch)
- Jon Steltenpohl
What does it take to turn some Naked Barbies into Vagabond Lovers? Just a call from Mattel's legal department. And so starts the journey of Patty Spiglanin's San Francisco based band from independent obscurity independents to recognition by being signed to Monarch Records. Of course, it wasn't just signing to a label. Naked Barbies had been calling attention to themselves over the past few years by winning a Whammie, being a finalist at the Lilith Fair Emerging Talent showcase, and getting cudos at last year's SXSW event.
To be honest, Vagabond Lovers is a much better name for the band. The Naked Barbies sounds like either a bad college cover band or some punk wannabes from the 80's. As a girl group that floats somewhere between 10,000 Maniacs and Lucinda Williams, Vagabond Lovers have a lot of peers. They've got all of the hallmarks of the genre. A lead singer with a strong, but distinctive voice backed by acoustic and electric guitar with a Hammond organ thrown in here and there. There's a little twang, but not much. Vagabond Lovers sound more like a metropolitan roots band than anything else.
"Independence Day" and "I Got Killed" sound like old 10,000 Maniacs songs from around The Wishing Chair over a decade ago. They're melodic and the lyrics are pretty good, but they don't really feel flowing and melodic. "Kitchen" is a bluesy tune with a little bit of Janis Joplin and Cowboy Junkies thrown in, and "You Make It Easy" has a nice, understated melody that almost sounds like Nanci Griffith.
"Wonderful Thing" merges "Riders on the Storm" era Doors with Ingenue era k. d. lang in a way that is simultaneously smooth and creepy at the same time. Similarly, "Midnight Radio" tries to be slow and smoky, but the guitar overpowers the song. On "A Thousand Different Reasons", Vagabond Lovers go for a southern rock feel that suits them pretty well. Unfortunately, Spiglanin forces her voice on the song, and her distinctive vibrato pushes itself into a strained warble. "I Got Killed" is a better on this front, and Spiglanin is more endearing in a Victoria Williams sort of way.
When I Was You is a well made and engaging album, but, on some level, it lacks that magical ingredient which draws you in and captures your attention. It's hard to tell what that is. If you made a checklist, the band has everything it needs. Still, the spark is missing. Maybe it's a case of band whose live personality doesn't come across in the studio. After all, Vagabond Lovers have been a staple of the Bay area music scene for nearly a decade and already have 3 self produced albums under their belt. Whatever it is, When I Was You is still a decent if average effort.
(For streaming Real clips, an MP3 track, and lyrics, visit http://www.monarchrecords.com/wheniwasyou.html )
