BETH HART: Screamin' For My Supper (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

After two first opus revealing an extraordinary talent and an asserted personality, Beth Hart finally released her first opus under her one and only name in this year 1999. The artist seems to have found a certain maturity and a strong artistic identity. Indeed, no more Ocean Of Souls or Beth Hart Band in this offering where different musical styles are mixed with a blues that has served as a base for a long time, making it impossible to classify the multi-instrumentalist singer in this genre alone. Faced with addictions to certain illegal substances and suffering from alcoholism, the Californian seems to follow in the footsteps of a certain Janis Joplin to whom she has been compared from the very beginning, but this struggle against her inner demons contributes to the power and depth of her art.

With "Screamin' For My Supper", she thus offers her first real solo work on which she indulges in a poignant exercise through lyrics that are sometimes disillusioned ('Girls Say'), often heartbreaking ('Skin') or moving ('Mama'), when they are not acerbic ('G.O.P.'). The interpretation goes hand in hand and shows an impressive mastery ('Delicious Surprise', 'House Of Sin'). All the emotions flow, from the soothing sweetness ('Favorite Things') to the most unbridled anger ('Get Your Shit Together'), and the listener is captivated by the stories told by the artist ('L.A. Song (Out Of This Town)'). We sometimes think of Alanis Morissette ('Delicious Surprise') or Sheryl Crow ('Is That Too Much To Ask'), thus diluting the overly meaningful comparisons with Janis Joplin in a rock music mixed with pop, blues and even country ('Stay').

For if there is one thing Beth Hart hates, it's being enclosed in an artistic comparison or a musical style. In this sense, "Screamin' For My Supper" acts as a detonator, exploding the clichés that reduced her, here as a clone of the icon of the 60s, or there as a blues-woman. The tremolos are now mastered without it being at the expense of the intensity of the interpretation. And if the subjects are sometimes dark ('Skin', 'House Of Sin'), the set of 14 tracks of this opus ('House Of Sin' is presented as a hidden track after 'Favorite Things') is nevertheless accessible. Between sweet and bewitching US pop-rock dealing with the classic love break-up ('Just A Little Hole') and pure and delicate ballads dealing with the loss of a loved one ('Mama') or motherhood ('Favorite Things'), through a dark and urban 'Get Your Shit Together' alternating calm verses and angry choruses, or a groovy and scrappy 'G.O.P.', the palette of emotions and moods is vast and complete. It confirms the limitless talent of the person who composes and interprets these finely chiselled pieces.

Captivating, bewitching and varied, "Screamin' For My Supper" is a perfect gateway to Beth Hart's work. It will give access to the beginnings of international fame to the Californian by offering her first hit single with 'L.A. Song (Out Of This Town)'. As for those who come to regret that the artist has strayed too far from the blues of his early days, they can look back on (or discover...) his first albums. They will realize that she has always used the blues as a simple base for her music and therefore could never really be classified exclusively in this genre. - Official website

BETH HART

SCREAMIN' FOR MY SUPPER

ATLANTIC RECORDS

ROCK