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Brooke Josephson made her first impact in the popular music world with her 2013 debut EP Live and Let Live. She followed the critical and commercial success of her first release with another EP. Her sophomore effort Sexy N’ Domesticated enjoyed even greater notoriety and garnered numerous awards including Best Performer by American Tracks Music Awards, the Global Music Award for songwriting and best music video, and many other laurels for its accompanying video footage. Josephson takes over production duties for the first time and acquits herself well. There is unambiguous balance between the song’s assorted instrument, no one component overshadows another, but she positions her vocal performance as the track’s center.
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/brookejosephsonmusic/?hl=en
It is a good decision. Josephson may be a full-time mother when she isn’t moving in music world circles, she may have extensive theatrical training, but her vocals are as natural as breathing. There’s no sign of apparent strain. She invests each lyric with the right measure of passion and the supporting vocals, including her daughter Shira Josephson and the MUSYCA Children’s Choir, put an emphatic exclamation point on the performance.
The musical attack is robust throughout. We are long past the days when country music maintained a stranglehold over the Nashville, Tennessee music world and much of the song was recorded in Music City studio. Despite the area’s rich tradition, however, there’s nothing rustic or down-home about “Rainbow”. Often staccato rhythm guitar teams well with the song’s fleet-footed pace and there are several lead flourishes, especially during the second half, that will are pure rock.
It’s not unforgiving and hard-hitting rock, however, but rather takes an AOR approach that should find wide favor. Josephson is courting a large audience, that’s true, but it never comes at the expense of her art. Every second of “Rainbow” resounds with her heartfelt commitment to its message, but she possesses the skill for shaping it into a track with tremendous commercial potential.
Josephson makes videos for many of her releases and her new single isn’t an exception. The promotional video for “Rainbow”, directed by Michelle Bossy, is a visual feast that complements the music and lyrics without ever replacing them in listener’s consciousness. The choreography, courtesy of Taisha Clark, is vigorous and refreshingly free from cliché. She’s surrounded herself with a cadre of five-star collaborators.
The twin guitar attack of Chris Nordlinger and Tim Pierce engage in a scintillating dialogue from the outset. “Rainbow” is unclear about how the lead guitars are delegated for the track but based on the ear alone it is likely the two musicians trade off the lead guitar work. Pierce doubles on bass guitar as well and his playing with drummer Seth Rausch is one of the song’s musical highpoints.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/rainbow/1571520616?i=1571520617
“Rainbow” is an ideal way to introduce both long time listeners and newcomers to her work. Brooke Josephson combines a generous amount of youthful energy with the wisdom of age. As a first taste of what’s to come from her new EP, “Rainbow” is a harbinger of potential overall greatness despite standing on its own as well. It’s a real gem.
by Bethany Page
