KARNEY – Gonna Be Beautiful

A K Karney Music 2022

KARNEY –
Gonna Be Beautiful

Californian songstress harnesses sadness to move on towards the brighter tomorrow.

Although she braved the pandemic and took her band to face the public for a few open-air concerts, Anna Karney had to resort to remote method to record a follow-up to 2020’s "Better" – and this is something the San Francisco artiste doesn’t like, because dynamics can be lost when musicians work separately. Fortunately, it’s not the case here, on a mini-album where fresh cuts meet old favorites. Two of these appeared recently on singles, while a couple of others have been revisited and revised to reveal previously unheard facets.

A lot has changed in the decade since “Love & Respect” saw the light of day, but this ballad’s message seems even more relevant today, which is why the ensemble stripped the piece down to its groovy essentials, vocal harmonies supporting guitar strum that charges the electric guitar flight, and moved the brass to “Heart Of Gold” – Neil Young being Anna’s apparent influence, and the mariachi layer making the cover sound inspired. They also turned the somber “Trust” into an exquisite acoustic number, and gave “Be Together” the communal sway of a sea shanty shot through with a series of vigorous six-string lines. And then there’s the EP’s delicate, albeit robust, title track, a drift from lonesome pining to hopeful future and a perfect reflection of what many of us feel now.

This record captures more than the period’s spirit – it’s a snapshot of our time.

*****

February 4, 2022