On the first two albums by
the Story,
Jonatha Brooke wrote all the songs, sang lead vocals, and played acoustic guitar. The other half of
the Story,
Jennifer Kimball, merely sang background vocals. So one might expect that the first
Story album without
Kimball (and the first with
Brooke's name in front of the band's) would not sound that different. But it does, and
Kimball's delicately dissonant harmonies are missed. Fortunately, that's not the only thing that's changed.
Brooke's melodies are more catchy than ever, and her passionate lyrics plumb the thematic depths of innocence and trust with newfound maturity. The mellow Latin-influenced folk-pop of
the Story's past is replaced here with an energetic, glossy full-band pop sound.
Brooke's expert backing musicians jump unjarringly from edgy guitar rock to southern
Bonnie Raitt-isms to postmodern classical string arrangements. ~ Darryl Cater