Album review: The Edges – Naimee Coleman
From the next big thing in Irish pop to seasoned songwriter, Naimee Coleman returns to the Irish music scene on her own terms.
Somewhere rooted in the underbelly of your subconscious is the catchy hook of Aurora’s ethereal spin on Duran Duran’s classic hit "Ordinary World." It’s a track that captured the essence of the time when the Celtic Tiger flourished, The Corrs were dubbed the future of Irish pop, and dance was king. What Elizabeth Frazer was to Massive Attack’s "Teardrop," Naimee Coleman was to Aurora’s "Ordinary World" — it’s body and soul.
An impressive start; she was signed to the music label EMI at the cusp of eighteen before her debut album "Silver Wrists" was released in 1996. Her sophomore album, "Bring Back the Moon," was primed for commercial success, but with the dawn of the millennium and a new musical landscape, Naimee recalls, "the machine was getting antsy, and I was aware that things were afoot," prompting the songstress to take up residence in LA for a "fresh start."
After a 22-year hiatus from the Irish music scene, the Dubliner is back with her new album, the self-recorded and self-produced "The Edges," a stark departure from her springboard sound. With collaborations from drummer/musical director Adam Marcello (Brandi Carlile, Sara Bareilles), guitars from Steve Major of the Canadian grunge band Our Lady, and vocals from longtime collaborator Gemma Hayes, Naimee has no shortage of friends in high places. Her signature angelic timbre is seemingly unblemished with time, but her songwriting has noticeably evolved and matured. It’s a record that demonstrates musical restraint, unbridled with embellishments — the cornerstone of nineties pop. Naimee has shed her pop star skin and morphed into a seasoned songwriter, all under the veil of the Californian sky.
Photo by Tara Keane
From the onset, "The Edges'' is a deeply personal record, but one that covers themes which will universally resonate. The edges represent Naimee’s struggles with anxiety and depression, a snapshot of a time when she was "blurred around the edges' ' — the embodiment of a watercolour painting. The song itself is a lesson in melancholic majesty in the vein of Agnes Obel as Naimee unfurls into the sound of the piano. There is a sardonic slant to the lyrics as she infantilizes her own vulnerability, "delicate girl, you’re not made for this world." It’s not music to "whip on for your morning jog," she quips, but this song is a ceremonial bonfire to commercial expectations of the past and a testament to Naimee’s resolution to write for herself.
On a brighter note, "California'' is a tribute to her surrogate home, as Naimee’s seraphic voice safely guides us across the Atlantic and into the "waiting arms" of the Golden State. Mythicized in songs from Joni Mitchell to Phantom Planet, California is one of songwriting most alluring muses. Naimee’s version feels as if you have waded into a sleepy dream, the sun beating on your neck. Her voice is whispery against the laid-back acoustic guitar, the sparse vibraphone adding bright notes to the heaven-esque depiction. The song evokes the same dizzy high of falling in love as she yearns for her second home through a rose-tinted lens.
The featured single, "Lost Our Way," is another standout, elevated by the silky harmonies from Bell X 1’s Paul Noonan. The song delicately explores feelings of disorientation after a major transition and the nagging doubts that plague us yet are too proud to admit.
The record also includes a cover of Joy Division’s iconic "Love Will Tear Us Apart," the anti-love love song to rule them all. Penned by the late Ian Curtis before his untimely suicide, the song is a devastating truth of the complexity and fragility of human relationships. Naimee whittles away the post-punk edges, revealing the emotional core of the song. It’s a bold move to refine a classic, but this is someone who has been immersed in the ever-changing landscape of the music industry for twenty-two years — need I say more.
Naimee is one of those rare entities who was never disillusioned with the grandeur of musical fame — the music was always paramount. Whether it’s lending her voice to different media projects in LA or touring with Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, Naimee has a refreshing commitment to the craft above all else, in all its incarnations. To say this is a comeback record would be to imply that she ever left at all.
"The Edges" is the truest representation of where Naimee is now as an artist and a reminder that your best is yet to come.
‘‘The Edges’’ is now available on all streaming platforms and Bandcamp for purchase.
https://naimeecoleman.bandcamp.com/album/the-edges