Arielle Silver: “Watershed” (2023) CD Review

Arielle Silver is a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. The first time I saw her perform, just late last year when she was on the bill with Ellis Paul, I was struck by the warmth of her delivery and of her personality, as well as by her songwriting. At that point, Watershed, her latest full-length album, had just been released, and her set focused on material from that disc. It’s an excellent album featuring all original material. It was produced by Shane Alexander, who plays acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, electric guitar, and glockenspiel, and provides backing vocals on these tracks. Arielle Silver is also joined by Darby Orr on bass, piano, organ, keyboards, electric piano, Mellotron, and melodica; Danny Weston Jr. on drums and percussion; Jesse Siebenberg on pedal steel, lap steel and Weissenborn guitar; Rob Hodges on cello; and Justine Bennett on backing vocals.

Arielle Silver opens the album with “Soft On The Shoulder,” which features some nice work on steel guitar. “Love more, fear less” is a line that stands out. “It’s a practice/I don’t promise you gold,” she then adds. This idea of loving more and fearing less is a good one for the better mental health of all of us, and if we could put it into practice, this nation might begin to heal. And then before the end, she returns to that line, stressing it through repetition. Leading to that moment, the song builds beautifully, offering joy and encouragement. That’s followed by “Bramble Vine,” which takes moments from the past and applies something learned from them to relationships, to a way of looking at them. “Bramble vine, heat and time/Form a heart from the scraps/Like making pie from scratch/Some kind of love is like that.” This one reminds me a bit of the work of Fred Small, in its message and overall vibe. I have a feeling that he would love this song. And I like that she adds an “mmm mmm mmm” after the “pie from scratch” line, expressing pleasure. This track also features some nice work on guitar and glockenspiel.

She changes gears with “Rickie Lee,” which has elements of rhythm and blues, and a delicious groove. It’s a song about discovering the work of Rickie Lee Jones, and there is a great sense of fun and joy in the vocal delivery. This track features a cool bass line and some wonderful backing vocal work. There is also a really nice instrumental section, featuring great stuff on guitar and keys. That is followed by “Ghost Ships.” This is the song that really grabbed me the first time I saw Arielle Silver perform. Its beauty is captivating, particularly during the chorus. And on the album version, that is somehow even more beautiful than I remember it in concert. “Sailing on ghost ships/Out to sea on ghost ships/Things we never did/Unlived lives on ghost ships/Still afloat on ghost ships/Lives we’ll never live.” Plus, this is one of the tracks to feature cello, adding to its beauty and impact. I loved this song the first time I heard it, and my passion for this song only increases each time I listen.

Another of the album’s highlights is “Asteroids And Chaos,” in part because of Arielle Silver’s excellent vocal performance. This is one that will likely stay with you, that you’ll find yourself thinking about later. There is something undeniably catchy and compelling about its chorus. “Hark the herald angels singing/When the rocking of the cosmos sways us/Love will save us/From asteroids and chaos.” It always comes down to love, doesn’t it? That’s something we should try to keep in mind more often. There is a rousing and uplifting effect to this song. This track contains some wonderful stuff on keys. And speaking of love, “Asteroids And Chaos” is followed by “Worth Waiting For,” a love song, and one that also features cello. “Baby, you’re not a fall back, a rebound/Distraction, no flash in the pan/And baby, you’re not a trinket, a trophy/A token to show on my hand.” Oh yes, a wonderful and moving expression of love, a declaration of true love, the kind we want to shout from the mountains and whisper in the mornings.

“Miracle” contains some pretty guitar work, right from the beginning. The line that grabbed me the first time I listened to this song was “Looking out on the horizon where the ocean touches the unknown.” Just before that moment, she has described that she is in the ocean, only ankle-deep, but still within it, and so she is within the thing that touches the unknown. And that makes that line even more striking and meaningful. This song refers to the work of both Jane Austin and George Lucas. That’s followed by “Clipped Wings,” which begins like a positive force. In this song, Arielle Silver sings, “All alone I cried for help/Calling out for someone else.” And as the music swells then, we get the feeling that this music is the help that people might need. There is a great uplifting quality to this music, a power as well as a joy. Hey, she even gives us some “do-do do” vocals at key moments, including the song’s conclusion.

Each of these songs has lines that stand out. Regarding “Riverdock At Sunset,” it is these: “There’s a difference between keeping something safe/And helping it to grow.” I’m not a parent, but I imagine it is difficult to always keep that difference in mind. “On the river dock at sunset/Along the worn and weathered boards/Nothing’s meant to stay, but still/Letting go is the hardest drill.” This song’s lyrics also provide the album with its title. The album concludes with “Bottle Up Tonight,” another of this album’s songs that she played that first time I saw her in concert. “Might we capture all we left unspoken/Cork it up for future delight/Whatever time might hold/Whatever fate unfolds/Forget all that we can’t control/But let’s bottle up tonight.” Those are interesting lines, for they are about letting go and holding on simultaneously, which somehow feels exactly right. Another element that makes this particular track special is that Arielle Silver plays clarinet on it. “All the stories of the past/The future ones that come too fast/Off the edges of the frame.”

CD Track List

1. Soft On The Shoulder
2. Bramble Vine
3. Rickie Lee
4. Ghost Ships
5. Asteroids And Chaos
6. Worth Waiting For
7. Miracle
8. Clipped Wings
9. Riverdock At Sunset
10. Bottle Up Tonight

Watershed was released on October 6, 2023.