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The most admirable aspects of De Lisle's music are the courage and honesty within her songs. While many strong, independent women proudly confess that we have no regrets in regards to past heartbreaks, brief romances, or deflated crushes, De Lisle sings with impervious fervor and heartfelt grace about being threatened by other women, playing the fool to a man's deceit, and fearing true love. Her approaches to love and to the opposite sex set the tone of the album with an attitude that within each song whispers to women you're only fooling yourself to be strong is to be honest. In pure, sad country song fashion, De Lisle opens Homewrecker wailing about becoming a spinster at the expense of her belief in the false promises of a married man in "Borrowed and Blue."
A steel guitar and a background string arrangement accompany "Beautiful Mistake," which examines a woman faced with life's harsh realities, reflecting back on a brief, girlhood love affair: "The most beautiful mistake I ever got to make was you/Beautiful mistake, beautiful mistake/So leave the happy ever after that your mama never knew/ The most beautiful mistake I ever got to make was you." As the saga continues, the woman of the song finds solace and inspiration in this one sweet memory.
De Lisle's music incorporates various genres. "Homewrecker" has a rockabilly feel with blues undertones and a pure rock 'n' roll melody. "Dead Cat" is a sultry soul song with Curtis Mayfield-influenced strings, a very hip, very dominant wah-wah guitar, and subtle background shakers. "Usted," written by Gabriel Ruiz, is sung in Spanish. It embraces a very Latino feel made up of a nylon stringed guitar, persistent maracas, and mandolin. "Hole" sounds post-punk and reminiscent of The Replacements or The Pretenders. The background banjo melody stands out in "Twas Her Hunger," and the organ adds extra element to the bluesy rhythm of "Frozen in Time." "Ferris Wheels and Freakshows" integrates carnival field recordings as De Lisle closes the album singing about a young girl's turmoil as she encounters lusty feelings and a natural reluctance to chance being labeled promiscuous. It is the most complex and emotionally rich song on the album. De Lisle's voice compliments the broad range of songs on the album as well as Cinderella's glass slippers perfectly fit her feet. Her voice is strong, sexy and expressive, and she adroitly manages to adapt it to some very challenging and emotionally intense tunes. If De Lisle is playing in your area, get there. Her charm on stage is equal to her charm offstage. Her demeanor is reverent, her songs are vivid and sincere, and she could very well be one of few viragos singing about life and truth without sugarcoating a thing. Did I mention that I am taking up the autoharp? For information about Grey De Lisle search www.greydelisle.com |
The first time I ever truly wanted
to become another person occurred years ago. I was watching
Gillian Welch perform songs from Revival in a small, smoke-filled
bar. Shortly after witnessing Gillian's performance, I purchased
an acoustic guitar and learned "Orphan Girl." The
second time I felt this need for a renewed transformation, I
found myself yet again in a small, smoke-filled bar. This time,
I was bewildered and inspired by the stage presence of a beautiful
young woman dressed in an evening gown, rocking-out on an autoharp
while singing with unbridled sensuality and passion, "You
always been a homewrecker/You'd think by now I would have known
better/You're just the devil in a tight sweater/You ain't nothing
but a homewrecker." The woman behind the sequin dress,
the autoharp, and the powerful vocals that evening was Grey De
Lisle. She was promoting her album, Homewrecker.
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