Melissa Ferrick –Still Right Here
2011, MPress Records
2011, MPress Records
Melissa Ferrick is at it again, criss-crossing the countryon tour in support of her latest release, StillRight Here. An enigma in the rockand roll world when she first started out, Ferrick has kept the Indie lightburning throughout her career, refusing to give in to the mores of major labelmadness. Still Right Here is about what you would expect for Ferrick,well-written songs full of great lyrics and an understated storyteller’spanache.
Ferrick gets things started with the title track. “Still Right Here” is a catchy little numberwith great pop sensibility about facing the reality of yourself and who youare. Kaki King sits in on “Headphones On”,an ode to overcoming life’s difficulties through music. Ferrick shares the great, swaying feel of “YouLet Me Be” with none other than Ani DiFranco in a highly enjoyable duet thatcould play just as easily as a love song or a friends song. “Seconds Like These” is catchy, with a solidchorus. It’s a paean to making the mostout of life. Ferrick’s songwriting issolid on “One Of A Kind”, finding a rough-hewn, open sound that fits her voice very well. It’s a great listen with a positive message.
Regret is the theme of “Checking In”; a retrospective on arelationship past that tries to understand what was lost with an air ofcautious indifference and a deep-seated hope for renewal. The vulnerability here is palpable; castbehind a thinly veiled sheen of intellectual curiosity. The genius of this song is the utter humanimperfection and honesty of the lyrics. “IWill Back You Up” is a pragmatic love song. With great writing and a memorable melody, Ferrick creates one of herbest tunes to date while dancing on the line between her more mature works andan almost Indigo Girls-like sound. Ferrick wraps up with the gorgeous contemplation of fall and winter inthe Northeast, “This Time Of Year”. There is no complexity here, just a simple love for the land and theseason that is stunning in its unadulterated beauty.
There was a time, back in the mid-1990’s, when MelissaFerrick was hailed as the next Melissa Etheridge. Yet she has proved over time that suchmedia-attributed expectations truly can be overcome. Ferrick has grown considerably over the years,developing into a finely nuanced songwriter who can still pick up a guitar androck your socks off when the mood strikes her. Ferrick has grown more contemplative over the years, zeroing in on adeeper understanding of the world around her through song, but the energy thatruns through her songs hasn’t changed. While “Still Right Here” perhaps doesn’t capture quite the magic thatFerrick managed on 2008’s GoodbyeYouth, it’s not far off the mark. The songwriting is solid-to-excellent throughout, and Ferrick just keepsgetting better over time as a performer. Still Right Here is a worthyeffort.
Rating: 4 Stars(Out of 5)
Learn more about Melissa Ferrick at www.melissaferrick.com or www.myspace.com/melissaferrick. StillRight Here is available as a CDor Download. The album is also available via iTunes.