Looking for Coco

My sister-in-law has released a new album - Looking for CoCo. You can find her blog here. In short, this is a solid album from a mature artist, best listened to at high volume or in the close confines of good headphones.

I really should listen to albums in more settings before deciding what I think of them.

The first time I heard Looking for Coco was in my less than dodgy car stereo, ferrying my wife, son and weeks old daughter to the shops. My mind clearly not on the job, and the stereo most definately not up to the task, I was less than impressed. It's alright, I thought, but it won't set the world on fire. Her voice hasn't changed much, and the music isn't challanging. There is no complexity, no hidden gems for the attentive listener, and the marriage of music and lyrics seems more like a distant relative than an intimate relationship. Somehow I was expecting, hoping, for something much more.

As it turns out, I was just listening in the wrong setting.

Click the post title to continue reading...Now, I won't say that I was totally wrong - there are some things that continue to annoy me. They are, however, much fewer than I originally thought.

I next heard the album on our home stereo. I intended to listen more intently this time, knowing I needed to write this review. Distraction, children, and chores conspired against me, and again I came away uninspired. Finally, I took a copy to work and listened through my Philips SBC HP 200 headphones.

Finally, it all came alive.

Coralie's voice had the depth and character I so desired. At times she soars as high as faint whispery clouds, beautifully barely there, an acoustic reflection of purity and grace. At times it is tinged with pain and character, displaying her growth and muturity. In a modern pop world that favours immature, processed voices, her vocals are refreshingly rounded and balanced.

The lyrical content reflects the album's (and the final track's) title. Here are my experiences, she says, and this is what I think of them. Here I am. This is who I am, and who I am in God. She is gracefully honest, rather than blatently. Nothing offensive or shocking, just a plain presentation of her heart and struggles. Nothing is needlessly hidden nor presented. I'm convinced she believes what she's singing. This is not "Christian Music", it is music by a Christian.

The music too finally revealed what I missed: complexity and depth. In the close confines of headphones the parts separated. The common interjectory bass solos, percussion, and gorgeous 'cello of Emma West on My Child, all add to the pleasure. There is much to dig out of the tracks. One of my original frustrations that still stands however is that in places the music overpowers the vocals. It seems overly strong for the tender, self-revealing lyrics. Musically, dynamics are provided almost exclusively through orchestration, with any dynamics in the main vocal not similarly accompanied.

Special mention must be made of the track 5, Little Feet. Mourning over an unusual topic for pop, a lot is drawn out in an appropriately brief track.

At nine songs and only 32 minutes Looking for CoCo is surprisingly short, but despite its length it doesn't lack impact. This is a solid album from a mature artist, with both beautiful songs and challanging topics. Well worth a listen.