Sweet Delusions opens with its title track, with a beat and sound that take us back to the early 1960s. The beat might remind you a bit of the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby.” And what a voice. It fits right in with the best of the voices from that time, with some gorgeous country elements too, helping to express that wonderful ache. “When I wake up/So tired of dreaming of you/But my heart won’t tire.” This was the first song released from the album, back in January (seems like ages ago, doesn’t it?). It’s about staying in a situation and hoping for the best, while probably knowing it’s not going to work out. I suppose we’ve each had moments in our lives when we’ve wanted to hold onto our sweet delusions. Then “Highwaymen” has quite a different sound, with Eddy Lee Ryder employing a different vocal approach. The lyrics refer to Thelma And Louise. “I need an old friend/To ride this cliff.” And I love this line: “Dyin’ young, I’m a little late.” The song builds beautifully, particularly in the vocals. “When did the road we’re on turn into the only road for me/There’s no wrong way on an open road/I loved you so much, it swallowed me whole/Still, there’s no place that I’d rather be.”
“Bad Decisions” was released as a single in June. This one has more of a gentle country vibe as it starts, with acoustic guitar. I love how Eddy Lee Ryder changes her vocal approach to fit the story and feel of each song. This song refers to Little Feat’s “Willin’” in its lyrics, with Eddy Lee Ryder singing, “So bring me weed, bad decisions and wine” (bad decisions taking the place of whites). This track also features some nice work on steel guitar. “Don’t say you love me if you’re just passing by.” It ends on a low, lonely note, “Been waiting for your car, but I’ve come too late.” That’s followed by “Joke Is On Me,” in which Eddy Lee Ryder sings, “If you’re so easy to love, then why don’t they stay/I don’t ever want to feel this way.” As the song progresses, there is a sweet, yet catchy sound. Part of it is the steel guitar work, another part is the steady beat. “Sometimes I want the worst for you.” Ah yes, none of us want to feel that way, but occasionally we do, don’t we?
“Antarctica” has a more modern flavor, with that electronic feel to the beat at the beginning. Her voice then has an ethereal quality as she delivers those first, and rather striking, lines, “I always knew I would be here for the end of the world/It’s the end of you.” This ends up being one of the album’s most captivating numbers. It has a glorious, and somewhat unsettling, power. And when she sings, “At the edge, at the edge,” we feel we are there with her, with the mad flat-earth people. “Pennyroyal Tea” also mixes different elements to create its own interesting sound and vibe. “Stay with me, stay with me a while/Before you go, hold me like your child.” Here it seems she is really opening herself up, making herself vulnerable.
The catchiest number on the album is “Simple Touch,” in which Eddy Lee Ryder sings, “I’m not a stalker, but I’m here on your street/Well, you make me feel like I want too much/When all I want is a simple touch.” This is pop music at its best. The first time I heard this song, I found myself singing along. It has that kind of power. The first time you listen to it, you’ll feel like you’ve known, and loved, the song for a while. Then she takes us back to the early 1960s again with “Shoop Shoop Shut Up,” and delivers another striking and wonderful vocal performance. “I’m never satisfied/I’m tangled up inside/Well, you know that I loved you/But I faked it each time/I’m standing on the fault line/Wish I could fall down inside/So I don’t have to think of you/One more time.” And listen to the way she sings, “What the hell is wrong with you/Just let him go.” Wow. There is a strong message here, but also some humor, which I appreciate. This song is another of the disc’s highlights.
“Smoke And Mirrors” is a lively number with a good beat. “Well, my friends all have husbands/Tell them they love them/But I think they’re fooling themselves/Now they’re out changing their looks/Buying self-help books.” I don’t believe there is any such thing as a self-help book, unless you yourself wrote it. “It’s all just smoke and mirrors.” Then “Only Real Cowboy” immediately transports us to the west of literature and films, but with those modern sensibilities. I absolutely love the sound of this song. It features another captivating vocal performance, and it includes a reference to Orson Welles. “Sometimes I want to burn the house where you seek shelter from the storm.” The album concludes with “County Fair,” which was released as a single in May. This one eases in, and has a pretty folk sound at the start. Her delivery fits in with some of the best female vocalists of the late 1960s, and again she mixes in a more modern thing too, as when she sings “Yeah, yeah/County fair and the summertime blues.” At one point, she sings, “If I write you a beautiful song.” Well, this is a beautiful song, and interestingly it contains a reference to “Tainted Love,” with Eddy Lee Ryder singing, “I’ve given you all that a boy can give you.”
CD Track List
- Sweet Delusions
- Highwaymen
- Bad Decisions
- Joke Is On Me
- Antarctica
- Pennyroyal Tea
- Simple Touch
- Shoop Shoop Shut Up
- Smoke And Mirrors
- Only Real Cowboy
- County Fair
Sweet Delusions was released on August 23, 2024.
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