Beckoning entirely with sensuality, real-human social communication and humor, Bellwether Breaks’s “Prove It To Me” (out Mar. 25) is as FM friendly as it is reason to blush, filled with oh-wows, modern love and E-Street soul. It’s a wholehearted confirmation of Chris Coon (keys), Wade McClung (guitar), Eugene Bisdikian (bass), Dave Goebel (drums) and Elyse Coughlin (lead vocals).
The piano-driven power of opener “Balls and Chains,” a Carpenters-tinged driver sweetened with glockenspiel, asks now and forever, staring out the rainy window of a slow-moving car. Motown whimsy builds in the rolling R&B title track, showcasing the band’s tightness with Beefheart guest vocals from Bat Sisters Katie Morey and Cammy Enaharo.
A Southside Johnny-style doo-wop nods around heartfelt polyamory, exploring trust, openness and sharing, confronting fears and fruits in “Peaches”: Who do you think you are / Bringing home women in your fancy car / Tonight you’ll eat up the peaches / And I’ll clean up the juice.
Producer Ben Morey casts a piano-bar haze as “Mr. Stupid Shoes” begins, building fidelity with organ flourishes. The ensemble supports the vision with sirloin-low lead guitar as it deconstructs into a wax-cylinder finale.
Two (or three) wildly inventive cover songs are a taste of the live Bellwether Breaks experience: a garagey version of Nirvana’s “About A Girl” with laser-focused organ and quoted original guitar solo. And what happens when you sing “Baby Got Back” (Sir Mix-a-Lot) on top of “No Surprises” (Radiohead)? Anything from tearful nostalgia to cheek-hurting glee.
“Couldn’t Like to You” purports itself to be a soul ballad before a Hail Mary/Hallelujah guitar solo drops into a slower Randy Newman testimonial: Better off this way, because I couldn’t lie to you. Bellwether Breaks’s epic powerhouse ending begs the question: Is there room for at least one more on the back of the tremendous white stallion on the album’s cover?
Ryan Yarmel is a contributor to CITY.
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
