Beth Bombara: “It All Goes Up” (2023) CD Review

It’s been four years since the release of Beth Bombara’s last album, Evergreen. That album came out before the pandemic. Remember that? Feels like another lifetime, doesn’t it? Well, she is now back with a new album. Titled It All Goes Up, this one features all original material, written or co-written by Beth Bombara, and some of that material does come out of the pandemic, reflecting on that time and on what has come out of it. We have learned a few things, haven’t we? And there is certainly that sense to these songs, and thus an optimism about the future contained and expressed in this music. Time rushes on, and so we move on as well, applying what we’ve learned to creating a better world. Or, at least that is the hope. Beth Bombara plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar and mellotron on this album. Joining her on this release are Kit Hamon on bass, synthesizer, percussion and backing vocals; Mike Shurk on drums; Sam Golden on strings, electric guitar, mellotron and backing vocals; Samuel Gregg on pedal steel and electric guitar; Eric Henry on pedal steel; Karl Kling on 12-string guitar; and John Calvin Abney on electric piano and electric guitar.

The album opens with “Moment,” in which Beth Bombara sings, “Feels like everyone’s screaming for my attention/I want to tune it out for a little bit/I want to tune it out for a little bit longer.” I am guessing I’m not the only one who really appreciates those lines. We need to slow down, try to focus on the moment, on our immediate surroundings. It is certainly not easy, particularly as so many people and organizations demand our attention and our time. This song has a rather soothing quality that should help us do it, heard especially in her beautiful vocal approach and of course that pedal steel work. That’s Samuel Gregg on pedal steel on this track. That’s followed by “Lonely Walls,” a song that comes out of, and relates to, these strange times we find ourselves in, particularly the pandemic. Check out these lines, which begin the song: “I’m still waiting for the sun to shine/For the world to return to something I recognize/I’ve been patient/How much more can we take?” That time of isolation was so difficult, and not made easier by the crazy politics and division within this country, and many of us re-evaluated our priorities during that longing. “I just wanna be with the one that I love,” she sings here. And that was the conclusion we came to, that our loved ones are the most important thing. And I love her vocal performance here. We hear a weariness, a longing, a sadness, but also hope in her delivery. Her voice expresses what we all felt, not just in the lyrics, but in the very sound of her approach. And there is a rather pretty instrumental section at the end. This is one of my personal favorite tracks.

“Everything I Wanted” has a different sound, a different feel, a pretty pop vibe, bringing to mind certain artists from the 1970s and 1980s, such as Linda Ronstadt and Christine McVie. This is a song about appreciating what we have, and it features some nice work on guitar. This one was written by Beth Bombara and Kit Hamon. “Rolling up my sleeves, ‘cause I look around and everything is broken/And I’m not here just to sit around and watch a slow erosion.” Then the first lines of “Get On” stand out for me: “Put off until tomorrow what you can’t do today/Tomorrow comes and goes while we’re just slumbering away.” I find time speeding past while I can’t seem to accomplish nearly as much as I want to, and I doubt I’m alone in that. And no matter what we do, or don’t do, time rushes on. So, as this song encourages, we have to get on with our lives. “You’re not fooling me or fooling time.” Eric Henry delivers some good work on pedal steel, and Karl Kling plays 12-string guitar on this track.

“Carry The Weight” is a song that reminds us we are not alone, that we can reach out when we need help. And who doesn’t need help these days? “Hello, I just wanted to check in/Would you pick up the phone/I’ll be over with open arms/You’re lonely but you’re not alone.” Beth Bombara’s vocal approach has a friendly feel, fitting with the lyrics. Sometimes we just need to hear that we’re not alone; sometimes that’s all it takes. This song was written by Beth Bombara and Kit Hamon. “Curious And Free” was also written by Beth Bombara and Kit Hamon. This one has more of a folk vibe as it starts, featuring a strong vocal performance, supported by acoustic guitar. Then, after a minute or so, other instruments come in, including some really good percussion and some moving work on strings. This one too addresses the way time moves: “The harder that I try, the faster time slips by/And I can’t seem to steady my hands.” It is another of the disc’s highlights.

“Give Me A Reason” comes on strong, with a powerful but melancholy sound, which is exactly how life has felt in the last several years, like a depressing force that can’t be ignored, a force that seems prepared to crush us. Then Beth Bombara’s voice comes in, and we naturally latch onto it, beauty emerging from a storm. “As we hang in the balance of the dark and the light/Can you give me a reason?” This is a striking song, written by Beth Bombara and Kit Hamon. Its last line, “I let you in every time I breathe out,” is such wonderful final line. Then when “Electricity” kicks in, it is like a glorious, beautiful pop song. This song provides the album with its title in the lines “I lose my head and it all goes up” and “Who really wins/When it all goes up.” The instrumental section features some excellent work on electric guitar. That’s followed by “What You Wanna Hear,” which has a relaxing sound, interesting considering its first lines, “Can we skip the part where we start yelling/Like banshees on a bender all across the town.” I also love these lines: “I’ll tell you what you want to hear/Doesn’t mean that I’m insincere/Honestly I want to believe it.” The album concludes with “Fade,” which has a different sound, with John Calvin Abney joining her on electric guitar and electric piano. “A reminder when I start to lose my way/Close my eyes and I still see you shining/Don’t let your fire fade.” This song (and thus the album) ends with a heartbeat.

CD Track List

1. Moment
2. Lonely Walls
3. Everything I Wanted
4. Get On
5. Carry The Weight
6. Curious And Free
7. Give Me A Reason
8. Electricity
9. What You Wanna Hear
10. Fade

It All Goes Up is scheduled to be released on August 4, 2023 on Black Mesa Records.