Review: True Love Confessions Courtesy of Brandy Clark

Brandy Clark/Brandy Clark/Warner Records
Four out of Five Stars 

A Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and musician, Brandy Clark excels in sharing emotional ballads that detail the difficulty of sustaining relationships while allowing feelings to flourish. It’s hardly surprising to find producer Brandi Carlile behind the boards, given that the raw emotion and expressive engagement mirror Carlile’s own raw and confessional approach. 

Like Carlile, Clark doesn’t mince her words. If you don’t want me, if you’re beyond me, if you don’t love me anymore, I’ll be an over-you achiever, she sings on the bruised ballad called “Buried.” I’ll Make you a believer that I don’t love you either.

Clearly then, Clark doesn’t mince words or suppress her sentiment. She’s equally insistent on the song that follows, the decidedly defiant “Tell Her You Don’t Love Her,” in which she calls out an ex-lover for his lack of clarity and conviction.

In fact, the majority of the songs take similar tact, all of them doggedly defiant narratives expressed from the perspective of one who’s felt the betrayal and disappointment of having hopes dashed while also faced with the need to suddenly start anew. Granted, those are dim prospects, but Clark also offers the impression she’s up for the challenge. The determined delivery of “Northwest” makes that clear. Likewise, despite her declared dislike of cigarette smoke, she still finds a measure of affection for the cantankerous grandma recalled in “She Smoked in the House,” even while wishing they could have more time to spend together.

In that regard, the album isn’t simply a series of sad soliloquies. The optimism expressed in: “Up Above the Clouds” makes it clear that there is hope on the horizon. Even the admitted antagonism inherent in “All Over Again” is mitigated by the desire for a second chance. Likewise, “Best Ones” finds that meaningful memories can still be sustained long after an affair has ended.

Clark has an outstanding cast of supporting players helping to underscore her intents, among them, Derek Trucks, Lucius, guitarist Judd Hughes, drummer Matt Chamberlain, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and of course Carlile herself. Nevertheless, Clark can claim credit for this remarkably revealing record and for having the courage to convey these tattered truths so well.

Photo by Victoria Stevens / Sacks & Co.