Review Summary: Singer-songwriter Dawn Landes refuses to descend into self-indulgence and bitterness on this tentatively hopeful album inspired by her broken relationship.
Some of the most poignant albums of all time have been released on the back of personal turmoil, heartache and loss. The so-called 'break-up' album has served as a vehicle for many artists to dissect and share their emotions, exorcise their demons or simply spew out anger and vitriol. Since her divorce in 2011 Dawn Landes had not released any new material but one might expect some fallout from her previous relationship to color the material on this offering. Landes, however, seems determined not to wallow in melancholy and self-pity and the material on here suggests that she is moving on.
The breakdown of a long-term relationship can give rise to a swathe of conflicting emotions including those of anger, resentment and longing and there is no doubt that a certain wistfulness and subtle angst suffuses some of the material here. "Don't you wanna see me, mistreat me," begs Landes on the beautiful acoustic folk number 'Try To Make A Fire Burn Again' before hinting that there is also catharsis lurking amid the barbs as she mentally shrugs her shoulders and proclaims "I just get by, I'm not going to try and understand." She now accepts that she must move on and find love elsewhere and the simply titled ode 'Love Song' suggests that she has done just that. However, the emotional scars may not yet have fully healed and she is not ready to fully commit as she laments that she "can't count on anything but the day and night." Landes's conflicting emotions also suffuse the daintily waltzing closer 'Home' on which she laments her feelings of isolation and loneliness. But even here she puts a positive spin on proceedings by championing her sense of liberation, "when I'm out on the town I get what I need, no one waiting around for this tumbleweed."
Several of the themes are those of renewal and gentle yearning with a touch of hesitant optimism. Her intention to 'Cry No More' takes the form of a simple country folk song in which she "wants to go outside and feel the summer," and the title track itself alludes to feelings of letting go, flying free and succumbing to simple pleasures. The music is disarmingly unfussy throughout with Landes's artfully finger-picked guitar serving as a suitable backdrop to her dulcet vocals. The album clocks in at a mere 30 minutes, which is short by today's standards, but maybe this, in itself, serves as a further statement that Landes wishes to move on and shrug off her past.
