Britti: “Hello, I’m Britti” (2024) CD Review

Brittany Guerin is a singer and songwriter from Baton Rouge and now based in New Orleans. Performing under the name Britti, she just released her debut full-length album, aptly titled Hello, I’m Britti. It was produced by Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys), and recorded and mixed at his studio, Easy Eye Sound Studios in Nashville. It features all original music, co-written by Brittany Guerin and Dan Auerbach. Dan Auerbach also plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, electric sitar, and percussion on these tracks, and provides some backing vocal work. Also joining Britti on this release are Tom Bukovac on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and lap steel; Russ Pahl on electric guitar, acoustic guitar and steel guitar; Nick Movshon on bass; Ray Jacildo on piano, organ, harpsichord, mellotron, vibraphone, and glockenspiel; Mike Rojas on piano, electric piano, organ, clavinet and synthesizer; Jay Bellerose on drums and percussion; Sam Bacco on percussion; and Ray Mason on horns. Andy Gabbard and Trey Keller provide backing vocals.

The album grabbed me with its opening track, “So Tired,” a soulful and honest song with a good groove. Perhaps it was partly the straightforward delivery of the first line, “So tired, so tired,” which spoke to me after I had worked nearly seventy hours the week before and was still exhausted. Her delivery made me smile. And check out these lines: “So tired/Giving up when I should be moving on/So tired/Never dreamed it would ever take this long/So tired/Turn around, and before you know, it’s gone.” The line “Never dreamed it would take this long” is another that stands out to me. I love the use of the word dreamed there, fitting in a song about being tired. This is an excellent song, featuring a wonderful bass line and a vocal performance that is friendly and true and beautiful. It was written by Brittany Guerin, Dan Auerbach and Pat McLaughlin. Then “Still Gone” has a somewhat easygoing vibe as it begins. “Lightning strikes in front of me/Oh, I used to be so afraid/Life took you away from me/Canceled all the plans we made,” Britti tells us. She is immersed in memory, but maybe does not want to emerge from it, for the sound builds as she sings “Day after day, no escape/Because you’re still gone.” Sometimes we don’t want to be pulled from our memories, our longings. Interestingly, she sings “Now today is haunting me/Didn’t end up like it should.” It is the present, not the past, which haunts her. This track ends up being another beautiful number.

There is a gentle funkiness to “Nothing Compares To You,” and there is an intimacy as she delivers the song’s title line. There is an earnestness. Hers is a voice we believe. Her performance grows in power, and the horns join in that rising of energy, which is wonderful. This is such a cool little gem of a song. It was written by Brittany Guerin, Dan Auerbach and Pat McLaughlin. That’s followed by “Back Where We Belong,” which has more of a country vibe, with Russ Pahl delivering some sweet work on steel guitar. Britti’s voice is equally at home in this realm.  “People say hello/To people they don’t know/If I don’t smile, is that a crime/When someone is your rock, and you let them roll away/What else can you do, but everything to make them stay/I pray that you’ll never be lonely.” What a beautiful vocal performance. This is a moving number, another of my favorites. “Keep Running” also has some country and folk elements. Here she sings, “I’m a young trailblazer with a rambling soul/I’m building fires everywhere I go.” And that guitar hook is catchy. When she sings “I’m a lonely soldier far away from home,” the drum work has something of a military feel. Mike Rojas plays both piano and clavinet on this track. “I keep running so I don’t feel the pain/I keep running through the wind and the rain.”

“Take my kindness for weakness/I bet I would win the fight,” Britti sings at the beginning of “Silly Boy.” Her vocals have an intimate quality here too. This track features some nice work from the horns (both Ray Mason and Todd Simon play on this one), and another good bass line. There is a spoken word section that works perfectly, yet still comes a surprise: “Silly boy, you thought you’d have me forever/And that I’d never ever leave your side/It’s so hard to say this/And it don’t come easy/But I can’t let my, my true feelings hide.” That section adds to this song’s classic vibe.  Tom Bukovac plays lap steel on this one. A beautiful atmosphere is created as “Lullaby” begins. I love that percussion. “Sing me a lullaby/Like you always do/When I need you to.” And yes, there is need in her voice, though she seems to be speaking to that need within all of us who listen, but there is also something angelic about her delivery. This is a gorgeous track, another of the disc’s highlights. It was written by Brittany Guerin, Dan Auerbach and Roger Cook.

“There Ain’t Nothing” is a delicious and totally enjoyable track, mixing blues and soul, with some classic sounds on horns. “You can drink your pain away/It won’t erase the mistakes you made/You can tell yourself another lie/But that  won’t save yourself another cry.” This cool song was written by Brittany Guerin, Dan Auerbach and Bobby Wood. That’s followed by “Reach Out,” the music feeling like it is coming from some great lost 1970s so-called “exploitation” film. It has a fantastic vibe. It was written by Brittany Guerin, Dan Auerbach and Pat McLaughlin. That’s followed by “Save Me.” I’ve mentioned before that I have never heard a bad song titled “Home.” The same might be said for “Save Me.” I especially love songs with that title by Wagons and Aimee Mann, but also tracks by Queen, Melanie Safka, Neil Diamond, Wilson Pickett and Bonnie Tyler. Add to that group this song by Britti. There is a great energy to this song from the start. And check out these lines: “I was born in the stars/I’m not surprised if you think I’m from Mars/To look in my eyes is to look in my heart/I’ve got no secrets, I’m only human, there’s no illusion.” Ray Jacildo plays mellotron, vibraphone and glockenspiel on this one. The album concludes with “Once Upon A Time,” another beautiful song. “Dreaming about the love I used to know/Sadly, that was once upon a time.” This one builds in power until its gentle ending. A wonderful conclusion to an absolutely excellent album. I am looking forward to hearing more from this talented artist.

CD Track List

1. So Tired
2. Still Gone
3. Nothing Compares To You
4. Back Where We Belong
5. Keep Running
6. Silly Boy
7. Lullaby
8. There Ain’t Nothing
9. Reach Out
10. Save Me
11. Once Upon A Time

Hello, I’m Britti was released on February 2, 2024 through Easy Eye Sound.