Alice Wallace – Here I Am
Alice Wallace is a country singer who calls Nashville home. A country singer in Nashville is certainly nothing shocking, although Wallace doesn’t record songs that sound like a lot of the music that comes from Nashville. It’s fair to say that her time in southern California brought a sort of California country to her sound. That’s not the only difference from the sounds of Nashville. There is also a fair amount of the soul-infused country more associated with Muscle Shoals than Nashville.
Wallace has shown herself to be a prolific songwriter, whether she is releasing solo works or collaborations like Side Pony, her project with Caitlin Cannon. Her latest album Here I Am is a study in introspection and a display of her abilities to use her powerful voice to tell vivid stories. Of the album, she said, “I needed to make a record that was really true to myself, both for me and for my fans who have encouraged me in ways I am so grateful for, Songs are how I process. And writing this album helped me process so much of what has happened in the last few years.”
Her songwriting ability is immediately on display with the opening track “Imposter.” Over a warm melody, she puts into words the doubts that we likely all feel from time to time. The confident tone in the vocals masks the overwhelming self-doubt the narrator feels that someone will discover her deepest secret. Perhaps the most powerful line is when she sings, “I’ve perfected the art of seeming fine even when I’m not.” It’s a line that hits particularly hard after the last four or five years where uncertainty has seemed the only constant.
“When This Song Ends” is another testament to Wallace’s ability to tell a story. This song is a twangy vignette similar in theme to “Three Minute Love Affair” by Whitney Rose. It’s such a vivid tale that it’s easy to imagine this scene playing out in a movie or TV show. The song describes two people who meet and dance in a bar. It could be their first dance. It could be their last. The character in the song enjoys the moment but is cautious about what might happen next. It’s not just the scene described that makes this song so interesting. It’s also interesting because it is exactly the sort of song that brings strangers together for a three-minute dance – especially when the night is winding down.
You don’t need to be any sort of music scholar to realize the impressive power of Wallace’s voice. It’s a power that isn’t based on over-emoting or the sort of vocal gymnastics attempted by contestants on singing shows. No, the real power in her voice is the fact that she can hit every note with seemingly no effort. “Letting It Go” is a great example. Her voice soars throughout the song and particularly when she prolongs the word go in the chorus. She makes it seem utterly easy, like you could do it the same way as you sing along in your car. Don’t be surprised if her vocals in this song give you goosebumps.
By her own admission, this album was a cathartic exercise. The lyrics convey doubt and countless hours of self-examination. At the same time, she expresses those things so well that it almost seems like she speaks for all of us. And even if the lyrics can hit pretty hard, it doesn’t feel like a heavy album. Those lyrics are backed by melodies that are so warm and welcoming that listening to the album feels like a reunion with an old friend. Here I Am will be available everywhere on June 28. https://alicewallace.bandcamp.com/album/here-i-am
Enjoy our previous coverage of Alice Wallace here: INTERVIEW: Alice Wallace And Caitlin Cannon Of Side Pony Talk About Their Songwriting And Future Plans
