RESCUE REVIEW
RESCUE by The Becky Chace Band
A REVIEW by Joe McDonald
Okay...the first question you’re probably asking is why a CD review on this site?
Good question. I have an equally good answer. If you know anything about me or this site, you know that it focuses on comics, but also tries to touch base on other relevant media. In this instance, music. Plus, I’m really high on this band and, being a firm believer in opening the comic fans up to all manner of stuff(hey...just look at some of our links!), here it is! But first, a little back story.
Becky Chace recorded her solo debut, PLAY ME, in 1998 and, during that time, won the 1998 WRX Acoustic Challenge. With the CD complete, she assembled a band made up of Brian Minisce on guitar and Lisa Annunziata on bass. Three more CDs followed, TAKE YOUR SHOT(with Carrie Johnson on drums), USED CARS(as an acoustic trio) and ENTERTAINING ROAD HAZARDS(with David Latimer on drums). In 2004, the 5th(or fourth depending on how you like to look at it) CD, RESCUE, has arrived and it is by far the most polished and personal album to date for this band. Produced by the band and veteran producer Joe Moody, it is filled with dark optimism, uncertain angst and raw emotion. Besides Chace, Minisce and Annunziata, Tom Petteruti plays drums on 10 tracks while Don Culp handles percussion, along with drums on the remaining four tracks.
The disc opens with the title track, which Becky dedicates to the memory of Abbie Lea Hoisington: a friend of hers who perished in the 2003 Station nightclub fire. Quiet acoustic guitar with Becky’s rich voice soon gives way to a gravel filled tone and a guitar that twists from fuzzy twang to syrupy painful distress. START RIGHT NOW rips from the get go. A lament to throw the past away and make a fresh start, Brian’s guitar lays down a killer bridge which slithers into a spoken verse from Tao Te Ching before rounding back into the chorus. Very high energy, very danceable and very powerful.
POLITICS OF LIFE is dark and tremulous. Chace’s throaty vocals during the chorus intertwine perfectly with Minisce’ gracious slide guitar while Petteruti and Annunziata grind out a simple but systematically complex rhythm track. The fourth track, ANYTHING YOU WANT, is much lighter in musical tone and lyric, but certainly not in production. A bopping little love song, the pulsing riff and backing vocals almost drift into a light reggae vein. $1,000,000, another swinging little number is next and actually has a feel like a Bare Naked Ladies song with a similar title. But that’s where the comparison ends as it lyrically croons about how huge it would be to be rich and not have to deal with the day to day corporate siege and trepidation of life.
SHE DID IT is perhaps the closest thing to a pop song on the disc. Telling the tale of a girl who drifts from high school hottie to collegiate druggie and what one would assume was present day, it’s one of those songs which you find yourself singing along to until you realize the topic is pretty heavy. Somehow I think your boss may can you if they find you singing it at work. I know mine would. This would make a great single, but Top 40 radio might have issues with the theme. Following it up is the “short version” of I BELIEVE-a song which, in the last year, has become a true musical axis of the band’s show. Like most of the band’s love songs, it tows the line between tuneful and arousing. A lot of that is in the lyric construction which dances gently between the two themes and leaves a lot of room for interpretation. An equal amount is in the musicianship which shines all the way through BOTH versions of this song(read on).
END OF TIME is a gentle acoustic based piece which puts the focus on a second person narrative for a change. DON’T SAY HI, with additional guitar work by producer Moody is a great “I don’t need you anymore...get lost” song with minor country overtones. But don’t let that scare you off because, at the same time, if you were to drop an electric guitar into it, becomes this cool little head banging anthem. TIRED OF LIVING is another tune which, on the surface, has the feel of a frantic love song. Then you realize that it’s about someone at the bottom of a barrel, looking for a hit and living on the promise of stardom. If it was a movie, it would be a MOVIE OF THE WEEK. But it’s not a movie-it’s a ballsy, bluesy piece of art.
USED CARS gets it’s second CD incarnation, this time with drums and a little more pump than the previous acoustic version. But the bouncy, fun loving feeling is the same: this is who I am, but it’s okay because I’m happy with that person. SOMETHING DIFFERENT begins with that dark and familiar musical growl and a similar theme: autonomy no matter the cost. But where other tunes simply touch it, this one roars with a ostentatious gnarl. Minisce’ slide work again is showcased in the bridge. And dropping in a line from the Stones YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT doesn’t hurt.
The most suggestive title on the disc is certainly YOU GET WET-one of two bonus tracks on the disc. It pumps, and jumps and is pretty much a guaranteed “get on your feet and dance” song. If this one doesn’t get your blood pumping, you’re dead. The CD ends with the long version of I BELIEVE which is pretty much the version the band does live. The 7 minute and 18 second epic is, in my opinion, their NOVEMBER RAIN. With a heavy bass line, sweet sounding Spanish guitar snippets, pounding drums and a midsection which highlights the individual band members as only a song this powerful can do. The consummate closer to an album this great.
The last disc I can recall playing this much in it’s early days was another equally personal album: CLUTCHING AT STRAWS by Marillion. A forceful tale of substance abuse, that disc was the perfect melding of pop tunes and intellectual lyrics. Same here. I find it hard to compare this band to other groups in the musical genre, but since other more famous people before have done it, I will too. Think Susan Tedeschi. Think Joan Osbourne. Think Sheryl Crow. At times, think Mellissa Ethridge meets Alanis Morisette. Musically, it’s easy to see the band’s myriad of musical influences sneak into their songs and lyrically, it washes over you in a very Dylanesque sort of way. I listen to this effort and can’t help but make comparisons to some of the lyrical masters like Dave Pirner, Dave Matthews, Howie Day and yes, Kurt Cobain-people who manage to weave tales and express sentiments which paint great visual images.
Go to the website, WWW.BECKYCHACE.COM and slap down your hard earned cash for this CD. And don’t just take my advice. Many songs from previous efforts are on the site for your listening pleasure, including several live rarities. And if you get the chance, see this band live now while they’re still waiting to crest in the mainstream. This record captures that raw live essence beautifully.
Since this record was released and this review was intitally written, bassist Lisa Annunziata has left the band after six years to "pusue other interests". But that hasn't stopped this group as new bassist Mark Minisce, brother of guitarist Brian Minisce, has joined the fold. Everyone in the fan community wishes Lisa the best of luck in everything she does and welcomes Mark with open arms.
Hey...Becky Chace hasn’t won four(and maybe five by the time you read this) Best Female Vocalist Award from the Providence Pheonix Music Poll for nothing.
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