mezz colemen - parts of you,parts of me

Mezz Coleman

Parts of you, Parts of me
self-released; 2013

3.3 out of 5

by Sean Dennison

Mezz Coleman goes on the offensive immediately by describing Parts of You, Parts of Me as "a collection of songs inspired by love, loss, and community," topics rarely addressed in the acoustic rock arena. But then she goes further and claims the album has been compared to Carol (that's how she spelled it) King's Tapestry, at which point I lose my own sense of humor and go on the offensive. 

This is standard female-voiced Starbucks-rock. The whole album, the whole album, sounds like it was molded after, even over, Sara Bareilles' Love Song. If that suits you, go listen to this now. People not suited to that will find the album overly familiar, recycled and barely scratching the surface of human emotion. Now, I have no doubt in my mind that Coleman, a mother of two, is sincere in her efforts, but what the heart has, the mind lacks. Or was it muscle? You know what I mean. Even me, who wasn't inspired by this album, can still say there's no particular weak track and Coleman even exercises her creativity a bit in a track like "Chuggin." The other nice thing about this album is that it is beautifully recorded, something which a lot of indie acts neglect. Go ahead and take a listen for yourself. You should know by the first song whether or not this is your cup of tea.

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