The album opens with "Pied Piper," which has a strong rhythm and some great bluesy work on guitar. "He did what he does best/And passed your very test/He made you all smile/As he talked that extra mile." I love those moments when Kelly Zirbes begins to belt out certain lines. Her vocal power is a key element of this band's great appeal. Bill Johnston delivers an excellent lead on clarinet on this track. Then "Savior" has a much lighter, cheerful tone, and Kelly's vocal approach changes to fit the song's vibe. The great Phil Parlapiano joins the band on accordion, his presence an important part of the song's overall vibe. This is a love song, but a love song from an unusual perspective. "When I was sad and you couldn't help/I had to learn to love myself/That's just what I must do/Just because you kiss me/And hold me tight and miss me/Just because you love me won't make you my savior." It's a song that doesn't say a word against love, of course, but does say we must find our own inner strength and rely on ourselves. And Kelly delivers some nice whistling, adding to this track's joyous sound. "When you came into my lonely world/And gave me a chance to dream/Now I know it's all on me/To find myself and find some peace/In this crazy big world."
"Terry" features a very cool, intimate vocal delivery at the beginning that is completely captivating. Adding to that intimate feeling is the fact that Kelly Zirbes directly addresses the listener in the song's very first line. The first words she sings are "You know" in the line "You know the moon waits for the sun." Another line that stands out for me is "I need the memory to get me through." This track contains some really nice work on guitar, as well as some interesting changes, as when Kelly repeats "In your eyes," and when she then sings "I don't think that I can handle this/There's so much that I'm gonna miss." This is a striking and powerful song. That's followed by "Late Bloomer," the album's title track, which has a bright feel right from the start. It's a lively number with a good deal of pep and optimism, feeling like a hit song (in better times with the music industry, this song would absolutely be a hit). It's catchy, with that great beat and wonderful bass line, and it has a positive message. Plus, there is some good stuff on both keys and guitar. "My heart's getting stronger/Just took me longer."
We then get "Bully," a song I mentioned earlier, and one which follows, in a way, "Without You" from the last album, though it has a much different tone. It surprisingly has a kind of pretty and sweet sound. It is not full of anger, as you might expect, and in fact that is part of the point. "Holding onto anger will put you in a cage," Kelly sings here. "Breaking up a family won’t get you a thing/Breaking up a country don’t make you king/Just talking heaven won’t wash away the sin/And just confessing won’t get you in." This track contains some beautiful guitar work. It's followed by "Daddy." I still cry sometimes when I think of my dad (we never really get over such losses, do we?), and when the song "Daddy" began with the line "He's a teacher," the tears came. The song, however, has an upbeat, positive sound, particularly in that bass line. This song also features some wonderful stuff on pedal steel and mandolin, and a good lead on electric guitar.
"Let Live" is a beautiful song. Kelly's vocal performance here is outstanding. "Regrets hold you down so low/Oh, regrets hold you down so low/Help me, lord, to let them go." Doug Pettibone delivers more wonderful stuff on pedal steel here. "It's time to forgive/Learn to let live/Before there's nothing left to give." It's a difficult lesson, I find, especially these days. And here Kelly again speaks against anger: "Anger is a cage so small/Oh, this anger is a cage so small/Help me, lord, to release it all." Indeed. What I've found is that anger hurts only me, not those who have made me angry. One thing I love about those lines is that she sings "this anger," mentioning her own anger, which has the effect of drawing us together rather than separating us. There is some beautiful work on guitar. This is another of my favorites. Then "This Time" comes on with a great sense of cheer. The first line Kelly delivers is "We'll make it this time," and she repeats the line for emphasis, because perhaps we are uncertain at first. And check out these lines: "In our hearts we'll find a place that we can call our own/And in this world we'll find a way to keep us safe and warm." Oh yes. We have to make it this time, for it's our only time. This track is yet another of the album's highlights. I think we all need this music now.
"Miner's Ode" has an unusual and intriguing opening, with percussion that puts us in a dark place, a steady motion that makes us think of hard, repetitive work, work that never ends, never changes. Kelly's delivery of the song's first lines has a darkness too: "Upside down/Hard to get through/Inside out." This is a haunting, almost hypnotic number. Halfway through, she delivers some equally haunting whistling. And she whispers the last line. Wow. This band can still surprise us. That's followed by "I Don't Understand." "Why am I so jaded/But so young at heart/And how can I stand here so strong/But so easily ripped apart." Those are the song's opening lines, and they grab us. "I don't understand me anymore," she then sings, something I think we can relate to. I'm not sure anyone understands anything anymore. Mo Beeks and Bill Johnston deliver some really nice work on keys and saxophone respectively. That sax lead in the second half is something special, taking the song to another level. "I used to like to watch the waves crash on the shore/Now I don't go down to the beach anymore/Oh, I don't understand life, that's for sure/Yeah, I don't understand life anymore." The album concludes with "Where There Is Hope." Bobby Orgel plays keys on this track, and it is his pretty work that begins this one. The song then kicks in, and Kelly sings, "Where there is hope we will find it/Where there is hope we can see." She delivers an uplifting vocal performance. This song is in some ways like those classic folks songs, where each stanza introduces a different word or line while keeping within the structure, and so is easy to learn and sing along to. "Where there is truth, we will find it/Where there is truth we can see."
CD Track List
- Pied Piper
- Savior
- Terry
- Late Bloomer
- Bully
- Daddy
- Let Live
- This Time
- Miner's Ode
- I Don't Understand
- Where There Is Hope
Late Bloomer is scheduled to be released on August 8, 2025.