Album Review: Bree – New Skin
2 min read
The band Bree’s rise in the music industry is in part a dynamic story of a gutsy woman whom is not afraid to take chances. Their sound is rooted in early rock ’n roll, apparent in their choice of instrumentation – guitar, upright bass and drums- which is typical of this era in music and the obvious influence of musicians such as Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley on the music. The album’s main narrative line stems from front woman (eponymous with the band) Bree’s own life experience.
At the age of 17, Bree escaped her father’s religious cult in Eugene, Oregon. After travelling around America for a number of years she made her way to California where she teamed up with drummer David J Castello. Together they moved to Nashville where the upright bassist Mayrk McNeely became the final member of the band.
This relatively new band has already achieved an impressive number of accolades. In 2012, Bree was voted RAW Nashville Musician Of The Year. Bree embarked on a 25 city eastern US tour in 2014 that included an encored appearance at the 33rd Annual Tropical Heatwave Festival in Tampa, Florida. In the fall of 2015 Bree began recording their album New Skin at Ronnie’s Place Studio in Nashville with Justin Cortelyou at the mixing desk. Cortelyou’s impressive resume includes working with the iconic producer Bob Ezrin (Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Kiss…).
New Skin is a solid second album by Bree. Although a few tracks lack character distinction of their own, there are a number of stand out songs; for instance, New Skin’s pleasant singable melodies, anchor the main theme and style of the album. Damn, I’m Being Me Again is an attitude filled, punk, rock ’n roll, dynamite track. Broken stands out for its feel and emotive delivery especially when she sings the heart wrenching lyrics “I’m broken and it’s all ‘cause of you” over wailing guitars.
Music is the means by which Bree tells her story, a somewhat sad one with many ups and downs, but the music makes you feel good despite the darker lyrical content. It is obvious that her music is what lifts her out of any downer and that is what it does for her listeners too. It is easy to identify with her angst but after listening through the album you feel uplifted.
