Homespun: Beth Bombara

For her first full-length under her own name, Beth Bombara builds on the singer-songwriter folk stylings and more adventurous rock & roll of her previous two EPs. Wish I Were You culls the best attributes of those earlier releases and amplifies the strains of genteel country-rock and pensive, wizened balladry. Bombara recorded the record along with her husband, Kit Hamon, and his brother J.J. Hamon. The three multi-instrumentalists corral their talents in service of the songs: J.J.'s pedal steel provides a twangy, sweet-and-low flavor across several tracks, and the opening cut, "Rainbow," shimmers with his conventional, tasteful use of the instrument.

Location Info

Map

Off Broadway

3509 Lemp Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63118

Category: Bars/Clubs

Region: St. Louis - South City

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Details

Beth Bombara CD Release
9 p.m. Friday, November 19. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.
21-plus: $10. Under 21: $13.
Free album download card with admission.
314-773-3363.

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More About

• Beth Bombara
• Kit Hamon
• J.J. Hamon
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

Bombara received financial contributions for the limited-edition vinyl pressing of Wish I Were You through the fan-funding site Kickstarter.com. The wax version of the album makes sense beyond the current trend of fetishizing vinyl, however. You has smart sequencing, and sonically, it's also the best-sounding of her three recordings, thanks to its warm, no-frills production. It also helps that Bombara's ever-strengthening vocals — which rarely falter across registers or emotional nuances — are pushed to the front, allowing her well-placed hiccups and proclamations to land with clarity.

The opening triptych highlights Bombara's folksier moments; "Can't Win" posits the songwriter's struggle with a sing-songy shuffle that is catchy but veers toward by-the-book Americana. The downtempo "Lately" is more successful, as disembodied guitar notes, grainy electric piano and spare drums facilitate a nice, slow-burning ebb and flow. This sweet spot between bare-bones folk and low-slung rock offers Bombara her most fertile ground and provides several standout moments. The austere, banjo-led "Don't You Know" proves how little cushion Bombara needs for her naked, heartfelt declarations, but Kit's double-tracked violin parts give a keening sweep to these lovers' vows. As a closing track, it all but guarantees another top-to-bottom spin of the LP.

Want your CD to be considered for a review in this space? Send music c/o Riverfront Times, Attn: Homespun, 6358 Delmar Boulevard, Suite 200, St. Louis, Missouri, 63130. E-mail music@riverfronttimes.com for more information.