With the continued transition of bluegrass into an adaptable genre, there is room for earworms that previously hadn’t been heard with a fiddle and banjo. One songwriter and performer who has taken advantage of this is fiddle player Becky Buller. Like other bluegrass albums, Crepe Paper Heart deals with loss in a multitude of ways. “Another Love Gone Wrong” is about what you would assume, but this theme spans much further. Like her past albums, the all-star contributions are there, but the star remains the song writing and energy she brings to these songs that are obviously dear to her. Dedicated to her parents in law, Buller’s new album tells the tales of loss and love, both for the music and each other.
“Bitter Springs to Big Trees” With help from Rob Ikes, the song opens with a flat fifth hammer on lick, which surprisingly slows down into a song about a drought. This song recalls the loss of a home land. “I’m gonna try to keep on praying/ from bitter springs to big trees and beyond” is a bitter sweet and skeptical statement, which fits true as the story turns into a song about Moses and the travel of the Israelites. Buller’s lyrical ability to transition and adapt is one of her strong suits and it shows here.
“Heart of the House” recalls the many great bluegrass songs about the house symbolizing the loneliness of a man missing his dead wife. “It used to be a happy home/ but no one is in the kitchen” is simple, but powerful. Not nearly as powerful as those high ‘ooos’ Buller hits on the chorus, which are chilling. Co-written by Sarah Majors, this song didn’t need the extra rhythmic energy from the mandolinist Prof. Dan Boner who tries to do too much instead of letting the groove come naturally. His tremolo on the third voice is stronger.
The backend of the album is the strongest, which isn’t a surprise when you have such a plethora of songwriting help as well as natural talent yourself. “Maybe” is a spell binding three minutes and twenty seconds which is executed perfectly by the band and producer Stephen Mougin. The story again takes the theme of loss, but this time whether loss sometimes may be for the best. The sweeps of the double guitars by Brandon Bostic and Prof Boner at the beginning complemented by the murmuring fiddle of Nate Lee is masterful. The only thing to make it better? Well Becky Buller of course! When she comes in with “The thoughts inside my head are shouting/ as I turn my Collar to the snowy streets/ the chill of darkness is surrounding/the air is sharp it hurts to breath/ the city is coming down on me” and that last line cadences you might as well have your heart resuscitated right there. The emphasis on three in a 4/4 song is also a brilliant touch. The harmonies on the Bobby Starnes song are also unbelievable and I suspect are sung by Clare Lynch.
While all of these highlights are slow the 2016 IBMA fiddle Player of the year shows up on the Tim Stafford and Rhonda Vincent assisted “Calamity Jane”, which is about what if you lose everything on your past because you create calamities. While Vincent belts the tenors as well as ever, this is an instrumental stand out, in which Buller wipes the floor. Despite the accolades of her band, Buller’s breaks are the highlights and shows off her prowess which this album doesn’t do enough.
With all of this talk of loss, its good to have a good gospel song at the end of your album and Buller doesn’t disappoint. “written in the Back of the Book” shows off the bands lyrical abilities in the old school four part church format. Buller brings great energy, but the bass, as usual, is the catalyst that decides whether the four part arrangements succeed. Here, it succeeds to aplomb. He creates a bass line which brings a groove to the claps which Buller uses to basically freestyle a pentatonic melody. Sometimes, these decisions for lyrically complex songs backfires, but this was definitely worth the spot on the album.
If this album is any example of what Buller has in store, we are looking at one of the most prolific, eclectic, and multi-faceted bluegrasses in the business and I for one am excited.
