Review: Lissie – My Wild West

Lissie’s new album My Wild West may be her most honest piece of work so far. She mixes genres with fluidity, her vocals are stripped back to their true sound and it has lyrical importance. A nod to the world before singles, she has created a piece of art in the composition of the album. My Wild West has its own story. It is only in listening straight through that the magic is found. The ghost of Johnny Cash, both in the lyric delivery and songwriting, haunts it throughout.

Unfortunately, like Cash, many songs build to nowhere while others are missing it altogether. Bridge-building is Songwriting 101. It is a huge piece of the musicality of a song that generally comes to a writer with time. On her third studio album it is no longer an acceptable gap. Unlike Cash, she is a vocal powerhouse.

She could pull off an Adele, allowing her voice to lead the music through its coda. Stay showcases Lissie’s true voice. This is where she belongs. This song actually accomplishes what most on the album lack, a great vocal build. Knowing she can do it makes the rest seem that much more disappointing. Her vocal rasp is more genuine to her songwriting but it doesn’t let her showcase her voice’s full range so I can understand why she resists it. Ojai is the perfect example of a song in need if commercial success is the goal. It is otherwise true to her abilities and therefore, genuine to the artist.

For the right DJ, Hero has great remix potential. It is very Carly Simon circa Working Girl on the holds. It will need an emotional connection for people to fall for it. The most commercially viable track is Don’t You Give Up On Me. It has an easy summer vibe and irresistible hook. She defaults to over-production to build the song, which is a shame because she has more potential. Lucky for her, the pop world is in love with production at the moment so that shouldn’t be an issue in terms of the charts.

Daughters is a great ‘Girl Power’ anthem. The music embraces the female strength while the lyrics build a relatable message. This song has shadows of Kim Wilde’s Kids In America and Pat Benatar’s Love Is A Battlefield with a UK vibe. It is ripe to add a bit of Joan Jett’s punk rock attitude and add it she does. The hard rock guitar is a bit out of character for the song, and the songwriter, but it works. This is the type of song the UN’s Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women division, could easily adopt for the cause.

On the whole, this album makes me happy. Lissie has resisted over-production. The intro made me capo shy but, thankfully, it is the only time it is so overtly displayed. The most produced song, Don’t You Give Up On Me, will also be her most commercially successful. With the infectious vibe and summery feel, sometimes you have to ride the wave.

 
Written by Sam Gilman

Sam I. Gilman is a music journalist who has been involved with the industry as a DJ, voice-over talent and on-air host for radio and TV stations around the globe. www.gilmansays.com

 
Author’s rating for My Wild West

Pop Magazine’s official rating for My Wild West

Rating key
MASTERPIECE a must-have
SUPERB for heavy rotation
EXCELLENT a great achievement
VERY GOOD a respectable result
GOOD worth checking out
FAIR an average outcome
WEAK not convincing stuff
BAD an underwhelming effort
VERY BAD quite a waste
FAIL a total failure