Like a lot of artists, Sweetlove’s introduction to music came in a church. That gave her a good background and preparation for singing backing vocals for Grammy-nominated and Tony-winning artists. Also, like many other artists, Sweetlove found herself creating as a way to deal with some pretty serious emotion. The new EP Goodnight, Lover was born from the grief of losing three important people in her life within the span of a year. Of the EP, she said, “I love that we’ve wrapped all these beautiful musicians around the songs, but it started with the stories.” And they are some heartbreaking stories and songs that you will feel deep inside you.
The EP begins with “Devil on Your Shoulder”. The easiest way to describe this song is to say it sounds like what might happen if Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive provided the vocals on a song by The Wallflowers. It’s a good blend of soul and roots rock. On top of that, it has anthemic lyrics especially for people who like to follow their own unique path. The chorus is instantly singable with lyrics like, “Make friends with the devil on your shoulder…be bad when you want to be.”
After the first song, the band brings the tempo down. The title track is a touching and sweet ballad that is just made for slow dancing with someone toward the end of a night in a dark bar.
The rest of the songs on the album are real heartbreakers ranging from the spacey, desert country feel of “The House” to the soulful “Did You Even Know”. The latter is filled with regret for not appreciating the time you have with a certain someone. It also features some strong imagery like “warm champagne in broken glasses” that really captures the wistful nature of the song.
The melodies stand at the crossroads of roots rock and soul, and the musicians really did an amazing job of finding the right melodies for the profound sadness of the stories. That being said, these songs start with the stories because the stories are what reach inside of you and take hold. You can’t help but feel every word of the stories in these songs. “It’s OK to not be OK” is a phrase that is pretty popular at the moment. If you’re not OK, and particularly if you’re grieving, this EP is a good selection to help you realize you’re not alone. Plus, it’s way cheaper than therapy.
Photo credit: Anna Azarov Photography
