Patsy Thompson 2020
Fabulous Day
With her arms wide open, Canadian songstress embraces new hope.
Last decade saw Ms Thompson go through a rough patch, yet she’s been ploughing her furrow in the field of Americana no matter what, even though Austin eventually alienated this artist, so Patsy returned to British Columbia, and here’s a reflection of the singer’s current stance. She’s not averse to occasional glance over her shoulder, only the single "I Think About You" that heralded “Fabulous Day” is its finale now, while a few other numbers reveal the Canuck’s desire to rock recklessly rather than walk down memory lane. More so, Patsy can be deliciously feisty, giving the catchy rockabilly of “Someone To Blame” a distinctly Southern flavor, even though the thickly layered “Neon Lights” offers a romantic stroll.
The rolling guitars and fiddle of the title track make this shift from sadness to delight unfold in quite a cinematic manner, the organ shimmer and handclaps building the momentum slowly but surely so that the album’s first chorus could shine brightly and “Picking You Up” could bounce on Chris Rolin’s powerful bluesy twang that adds and abets Patsy’s perky vocals. Robust riffs also lift up the self-imposed loneliness on “I Can’t Be In Love With You Tonight” – only to set the scene for “Passion” which will relocate Thompson’s Piaf-like vibrato to the Seine, where the Roma roam. Of course, there’s nostalgia in a bar-room piano of “Misery And Gin” propelling her sultry voice to patinated past, full of heavenly harmonies, yet “Fabulous Day” is as forward-looking as it gets – warm and welcoming.
****2/3
