Ten years ago, Lake Street Dive released its fourth album, “Bad Self Portraits,” which proved a game-changer for the jazzy pop quartet that met when they were students at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. The band first gained attention when a video of a street performance in which they played a jazzy version of the Jackson 5’s “I Want Your Back” went viral.
Back in their early days, the group Rachael Price on vocals, Mike “McDuck” Olson on guitar/trumpet, Bridget Kearney on standup bass, and Mike Calabrese on drums utilized the spare sound of voice, acoustic bass, trumpet, and drums with the rich alto voice of Rachael Price, being the main focus of the band.
“Bad Self Portraits” was released on February 18, 2014, on the Western Massachusetts-based label Signature Sounds label, whose president signed the group after seeing them perform to a handful of people at a local watering hole.
In honor of the tenth anniversary of its release, Signature Sounds has re-released a deluxe vinyl version. The limited-edition album is fully re-mastered with alternative artwork and features two bonus tracks: “Wedding Band” and “What I’m Doing Here.” The album is available in three different colors
Working with producer Sam Kassirer on “Bad Self Portraits,” the band emerged more confident and cohesive than they had in their previous ten years together. The album found Lake Street Dive fleshing out its sound by adding crunchy electric guitar, lush keyboards, and bolder percussion. While Price’s voice remains the glue that pulls this music together, it was on this album that her three bandmates proved that they are more than just a backing band.
They did this by writing songs with hooks, smooth grooves, and sharp lyrics incorporating elements of Motown, pop, soul, jazz, and R&B. Bad Self Portraits showcase the band’s musical and diverse influences, especially their love of ’60s music.
Lake Street Dive has often been called retro, much of their sound can draw from the past, but they make it sound fresh. Stunning harmonies and Kearny’s driving bass propel the swinging tune “You Go Down Smooth” and help make it a major crowd-pleaser. Olsen adds some melancholic trumpet on the smoldering torch song “Just Ask, “while “Stop Your Crying,” sounds like something the Ronettes might have recorded.
Calabrese shares vocals with Price on “Seventeen.” That song’s snappy hand claps and Olson’s bluesy guitar riffs make it one of the most fun tracks here. That brings us to the bonus tracks: The ballad “What I’m Doing Here” is the perfect vehicle for jazz-trained vocalist Price, whose voice has drawn comparisons to everyone from Etta James to Amy Winehouse. To this day, she remains a deeply underappreciated singer. That song is all smoking, while “Wedding Band” is bright and poppy, benefiting from handclaps, shimmering tambourine, and a lively trumpet solo from Olson.
“Bad Self Portraits” opened the door for the band’s appearances on the “Another Day, Another Time” show at Town Hall featuring music from and inspired by the Coen brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis,” as well as guest spots on several late-night talk shows and led to touring all over.
With its improved sound, this reissue is extremely welcomed, as this album contains some of Lake Street Dive’s strongest songwriting and performances and is a testament to the ongoing power of this one-of-a-kind band.
