I bought the latest Deb Talan CD, A Bird Flies Out, this weekend. I first heard Deb on WERS a few years ago, so I went hunting for her CD. She was pretty new to the scene and wasn't sold in major stores, so I actually went to Starbucks in Harvard Square to get the disc -- because she played there every week. So not only did I get her amazing album, Something Burning, but I also got to hear her live (and she signed my CD! I'm such a dork).
Of course I bought her other CD, Sincerely, even though it was mostly live recordings -- and I don't usually like live versions. They mess with my head. I don't like it when artists get all fancy and sing the same old song a different way, like that makes it a "new" song. It doesn't; it just means it's an old song being sung the wrong way. Sincerely was likewise an instant favorite, if for "Cherry Trees" alone (who doesn't love a singer who writes a song inspired by Pablo Neruda?).
I had high hopes for A Bird Flies Out, and for the most part, I'm pleased. What pisses me off is the re-packaging of several of my favorite songs from Sincerely on this "new" album. I feel cheated. And she messed up my old favorites by adding extra instruments and unnecessary back-up singing. The best thing about this disc was that I learned that "Tell Your Story Walking" was inspired by Motherless Brooklyn, a book I discovered via TQ and loved. I will buy Deb's next album; I just hope it's actually all new.
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