Pamela McNeill: “Wave After Wave” (2024) CD Review

Pamela McNeill is a singer and songwriter based in Minnesota. She has put out several albums over the last twenty-five years, and on her new EP, Wave After Wave, she revisits a couple of songs from an early release, American Breakup. This disc also features some new material, and all of the songs were either written or co-written by Pamela McNeill. Joining her on this EP are Tom Bukovac on guitar, Adam Ollendorff on guitar, Rachel Loy on bass, Billy Justineau on keyboards, John Richardson on drums, and Sarah Buxton on backing vocals. John Richardson and Adam Ollendorff also produced this release, which was recorded in Nashville.

The EP opens with one of the songs that Pamela McNeill is revisiting, or reimagining, “Give Back My Love.” Immediately you’ll hear differences. This new version opens with a strong drum beat, before the other instruments come in to create an interesting atmosphere. And Pamela McNeill’s voice comes in a bit sooner in this new version. The atmosphere that was created is perfect for those opening lines, “Seven hours I was on the freeway/Seven hours you were on my mind,” for the music in that opening section has that feel of being out alone on the road, alone with one’s thoughts and memories. The music then builds for the chorus, and in this version after that first chorus, rather than going into the “Heading north between the lakes and lightning” part, it goes to “Come back sweetness, come back faith.”  After the “I believe that everything is for a reason” line, she then goes to “Heading north between the lakes and lightning.” I love the power as she delivers the chorus, though I disagree that there is a reason for everything. Interestingly, this song is credited to Pamela McNeill, Adam Ollendorff and John Richardson, though the original version was credited solely to Pamela McNeill. That’s followed by “Needle And Vinyl,” which has a good pop vibe as it begins. “You weren’t there when the deal was final/When the needle touched the vinyl/All alone in my room when it meant so much to me.” It builds into a strong number, with Pamela McNeill belting out certain lines with a passion. And it makes sense that she raises her voice on lines like “Sing loud if you want to/Say it if you need to/Hold tight to the promise/Never let that feeling disappear.”

“Boys Lie” has a good bass line, and becomes undeniably catchy on the chorus. “Why do boys lie/Why do they run/Why do I still care/When it’s all done/How come I fall/Every damn time/For the same story/The same old lines.” And I think folks can appreciate these lines: “This time there won’t be a next time/That’s what I tell myself every time.” Ah, there are some mistakes we’ll make over and over, because hope still lives in our hearts. Isn’t it better to be hurt again, than to succumb to cynicism and coldness about relationships in general? This one was written by Pamela McNeill, Adam Ollendorff and John Richardson. It is followed by “Hurricane,” which has a sweet, gentler vibe as it starts, and a pretty vocal approach to match that feeling. “Voices come from under the deep/Telling me to give up hope now/But that doesn’t mean much to me/Ain’t nothing but a hurricane blowing time around.” And here she sings that she will “stand ready to defend my heart” and we hear that readiness, that determination in her voice, in her delivery.

“In My Next Life” is the other song from American Breakup that Pamela McNeill decided to reimagine here. This version, like the original, opens with some work on keys, though it is a different keyboard part here. It very quickly distinguishes itself from that early recording, when like ten seconds in, the drums burst in. She uses a different vocal approach too. There is a good deal of both power and ache in her delivery at times. “Well, I guess it’s my lot in life/To put up with sad little jerks like you/You devastate so completely/And you believe your own lies.” Yes, this song touches upon dishonesty, as “Boys Lie” does. I like both versions of this song, but if I had to pick the better, it would be this one. As with “Give Back My Love,” this song was originally credited to Pamela McNeill and is now credited to Pamela McNeill, Adam Ollendorff and John Richardson. The EP then concludes with “The Ocean.” There is a brief moment where it eases in, then a steady pounding of the drum draws us into the body of the song. “Casts a spell that pulls you under/Leaves you drowning in the darkest deep/And I needed closure/And I wanted to get over/But I let the moonlight find me/I went running to the shore/I took my heart down to the ocean.” It is interesting that this is the second song on this EP to almost personify the heart, the first being “Hurricane,” both songs having titles related to water. This song also gives the EP its title in the lines “Wave after wave of sacred memories” and, near the end, “Wave after wave came crashing over me.” The track fades out as we hear “Wave after wave” repeated.

CD Track List

1. Give Back My Love (Reimagined)
2. Needle And Vinyl
3. Boys Lie
4. Hurricane
5. In My Next Life (Reimagined)
6. The Ocean

Wave After Wave is scheduled to be released on July 26, 2024, and will be available on vinyl. And word is it will be blue vinyl.