'Playing In The Rain' Album Review
- by Heath Andrews, ReviewYou
There are few things more purely joyful than playing in the rain; carefree frolicking despite the gloom, jumping in puddles just to hear the sloshing splash and see the spray shoot out from underfoot. Holding Out have created an album that evokes much of the same pleasant emotions as the activity it shares a name with. Consisting of guitarists/vocalist/songwriters, Scott Brockett and Kelly Bechtell (whom also handles keyboards) along with drummer Jen Brockett, this Portland trio seem to draw upon a combination of influences from the rock/pop genre. The sound they craft is a bluesy "roots rock" confection not unlike what the Black Crowes and Hootie & The Blowfish created in the early '90s, or Josh Kelley has done in recent years.
Being their debut album, Playing In The Rain has to not only be an accessible, enjoyable album, but also display the band's talent and potential, and both of these goals are easily accomplished. The tone is instantly set by the opening riff of the first track, "The Sun." Lyrically, the song is light-hearted with a musical arrangement to match. Bechtell's keyboards churn out a melodious organ sound that backs Brockett's energetic, soothing vocals. Most of the album doesn't deviate from this kind of sound. Under normal circumstances, this could make songs bleed into each other without any real difference between them, but Holding Out avoids this trap in several ways.
Just as Scott Brockett and Kelly Bechtell share songwriting, they too share lead vocals with either member singing their respective songs. Each of them has their own particular flavor of songwriting and vocal style (Brockett being more poppy with a higher vocal timber) but the album doesn't feel as if it were written and sung by two different people, it's incredibly cohesive and consistent. A large part of this is due to the musical arrangements, which are stellar and done by the band as a whole. There's not a great deal of soloing that goes on throughout the album, instead there's a layering of multiple guitars and keyboards with a steady percussive beat. The listening experience is also aided by the fact that Playing In The Rain doesn't have a single song that overstays its welcome. Most of the tracks come in, do their thing, and exit before four minutes have passed.
The real standout song here is "Beauty Queen", where the aforementioned arrangement coalesces beautifully to an astounding lyric, forming one of the most honest, heartfelt, touching love songs in the rock/pop genre of recent years. Written by Brockett, the song describes a girl who doesn't quite have it all together ("Sometimes she doesn't seem prim or proper, and if life was a game sometimes she doesn't know how to play"), yet is at heart, a beauty queen. Though Brockett's sincere vocals could hammer this point home, Bechtell sells it with an achingly gorgeous piano refrain and organ backing.
Other standouts include "It Was Love", with an infectious opening little guitar riff that descends to the bassline and drives the song and the "ballad" if you will, "Time To Waste". Then there's "It's Over Now", which is unique amongst the other songs in that there's a bit more of an edge to it. Unlike the rest of the album which is genuinely happy, the narrator here seems to grow increasingly upset over the fact that the other party of some sort of former relationship can't accept that things are over. If "Beauty Queen" is Brockett's tour de force, then this is Bechtell's. By the time the song meets its abrupt end, the guitar is simply snarling in the mix.
If the album has any flaw it's that it brushes with greatness, but doesn't capture it fully. In combining elements of folk, blues, and rock/pop, sometimes great musical ideas start to form, but don't always come to fruition. Still, trying to combine these influences in a hybrid can't be easy, but the band manages it very well with even the weakest songs being above average. Playing In The Rain is a good album in its own right, but as a debut for Holding Out, its even better; a near perfect introduction to a band with energy, potential, and a knack for outstanding musical arrangements.
