QuaranQueen is the recent debut release of Erin Power. It’s another “corona” album coming from being isolated which you can read more about on her Bandcamp page. The album combines seven songs.
The album starts with “Woke up Today” and it revolves around guitar and vocals. I thought the guitar picking was solid. The strength of the song ultimately comes from the lyrics and not hooks. She weaves in popular spiritual phrases like “today is a gift /that’s why it’s called the present.” It felt like a lot of phrases you hear from spiritual teachers. “Moss and dew” is a little more dramatic and perhaps melancholy. There are slight shades of Joanna Newsome and Devendra Banhart here and there. “Love yourself” sort of continues to graze spiritual phrases that have been recycled in one form or another whether it’s pop culture or teaching. “Power eyes” felt more personal and seemed to be about the trials and tribulations of a romantic relationship or even just a personal relationship. “Not Sorry” on the other hand seems to definitely be about the woes of a romantic relationship. “Skull for a skull” is a solid track that continues to solidify her style. The next song “Say my name” is basically the same song in terms of melody which I have to admit I thought was a little odd. A number of songs have a very similar picking pattern which made it hard to differentiate the tracks. There also aren’t any other instruments that provide additional dynamics or textures. On one hand this made the album feel cohesive but I wanted just a little more variation especially as I was approaching the end. Being an engineer myself, I so wanted to assist with the recording to give her a little more of that studio sheen - a couple of warm mics that were placed close up to her guitar, along with some light compression and boosts around 150 - 300 hz. This would have added to the intimacy and nuance of the performances. First of all I would say she is very talented. She has some skills on the guitar and she is very strong in the songwriting department. My only critique would be once we are free to visit studios again to perhaps work with an engineer and also maybe work with a couple of other musicians for occasional accompaniment. I think xylophone, orchestral strings or even another guitar would be a welcome addition once in a while. Overall, this is a strong release and I hope to hear some more of her talent in the not too distant future.
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