Originally from South Florida, Belle Shea is a singer/songwriter currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Taking up the guitar at a young age, Shea started writing music early in life, opening for New Orleans-based funk band Dumpstaphunk as a solo artist at 15. She graduated in 2016 from Vassar College, having co-written and premiered two original musicals. Shea is releasing her debut album entitled The Art Of Years.
With a sound that is inspired by Billie Ellish and Carole King, Shea’s music has been described as being a hybrid of Lorde and Joni Mitchell meshed together. Her indie rock/pop melodies incorporated by lush strings and silken vocals certainly do epitomize her with her influences while also carrying a sound that is characteristically her own. Filled with allure and a dynamism that beckons listeners to these emotionally stirring indie rock and folk pop tracks, the brand-new album packs caliber without eluding the charm. Watch as Shea takes us to greater heights with The Art Of Years. The album opens with “Here Is What I Need To Tell You” where Shea’s vocals come in uninhibited filled with an awe-inspiring feel. Her silky vocals evoke an elegance from a by-gone era. A timelessness is enlisted. Her vocals are simply supported by the melodious tune on the piano and the sound of strings. The vocals and music are soaring. An ethereal sense pervades on this track. Shea’s vocals have a soft lilt to it that makes it soothing and smooth. The music is very rich and dynamic. A dramatic sense underlines this song. On “Smoke & Mirrors,” Shea repeats the phrase “smoke and mirrors” as electronic beats punctuate her words towards the beginning of this track. This pop song contains an infectious appeal. Soaring synths pulsate throughout the track. The sound is energized and invigorating. Lush strings go on to trace this song. Moody synths add an ominous vibe to the recording as the cadences of silverware and conversation overflows toward the start of “Watered Down Love” adding a distinctly live recording sound. The backdrop will take you straight to the environments of a speakeasy bar. Strings underlining the track kindles a dramatic sense. Auto-tuned vocals offers a murky and watered-down effect to the singing. About how sometimes we avoid seeing what is there directly in front of us – the patterns of a relationship that just won’t last but we keep saying it’ll all work out turns out to be just another coping mechanism, Shea’s lyrics aptly conveys all this as she sings, “Yours is papier-mache mask / I use to cover up my eyes / It was never made to last / But still it keeps me blind.” On the closer and title track, Shea’s vocals come in, in a honest and raw awakening. Her vocals are simply accompanied by the acoustic guitar. This is a stripped-down number filled with evocative and melodies. A real soaring feel is evoked. A piano tune traces this track as well as lush strings. A real dynamic song. A lot of these songs off the album was influenced by Shea’s bartending job at a NYC speakeasy bar. The album goes on to incorporate cards shuffling, books closing, wine glass and clinking silverware in the backdrop of certain songs like “Smoke & Mirrors” and “Watered Down Love.” This added a live element to the recording that places listeners right in the midst of a busy speakeasy establishment. In the singer/songwriter vein, these are emotionally powerful indie rock and folk pop songs with a whole lot of range. These uniquely searing tracks showcase Shea’s passion for her music. Her strong and elegant vocals will provoke listeners to seek her out again and again. Shea relinquishes a no holds barred approach to her music. Captivating listeners with her fierce showmanship, Shea proves that she is a versatile artist willing to go great lengths to ‘wow’ audiences. Her smooth vocals dance around inviting melodies that presents to listeners a whole new way of experiencing music. A unique element to the album is that every song coincides with its twin on the opposite side of the album – the first and last songs go together, the second and second to last, etc., until the fifth song, which beings and ends with the same string arrangement. Shea wanted to emphasize that it takes time with maybe the effort going backwards in order for anything to feel finished – so that songs are tied together this way, mirroring their duality in these reflective tracks. This experimental form to the songwriting allows audiences to listen to this album out of order. Perhaps once you go through the recording in the traditional sense from front to back, you can listen to the album the way it was meant to be appreciated, paired by each corresponding track. Shea definitely delivers on this stellar release. She shows a whole lot of potential with this recording and I am interested to see what happens next with this artist.
1 Comment
Ann H.
3/19/2020 06:41:59 pm
Awesome review of some awesome tracks. Looking for more from this talented artist.
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