CD Review: S.J. Tucker “Stolen Season”

S.J. Tucker is a multi-talented Perry, Arkansas-based artist who lends her creativity to many different media. Sometimes poet, sometimes musician, Tucker has won praise for her work as a poet and songwriter. And that is only part of her personality. Over the years, S.J. Tucker has created many different songs and has put those songs out on many different releases, including contributing to the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the movie Ember Days. The latest release of original compositions from S. J. Tucker is called Stolen Season.

For the release of Stolen Season, S. J. Tucker blends several different genres of music to create her sound. For this album, Tucker creates a unique blend of what she calls “fairytale folk and jazz”.

Stolen Season from S.J. Tucker begins with the track “Black Swan Blues”. The crackling of the music at the beginning of the track suggests something older than it is as the music on the track consists of a blues/rock blend with a stronger hint of blues. The vocals from Tucker contain a nice amount of soul as she sings the lyrics with gentleness. The easy feel of the track in the first ninety seconds transitions to a harder feel as the musicians on the track create a groove to go along with the lyrics that repeat throughout the song.

The newest release from S.J. Tucker continues with the track “Dream of Mississippi”. While “Black Swan Blues” contains a bluesy feel to the music, “Dream of Mississippi” takes on a more folk-like feel. The track begins with music created by a bowed bass and an acoustic guitar that suggests a mystical feel to the atmosphere surrounding the subject matter of the song. The story revolves around a woman who is being drawn back into the world she left behind. The subject matter in the song makes use of some of Tucker’s spiritual background.

For the song “Sultry Summer Night,” the jazzy side of S.J. Tucker’s writing personality comes out. The piano and electric guitar on the track create an easy, light almost folk-like musical approach to the music. The lightness of the music matches up well with the jazzy vocals from Tucker as she sings about the night. The piano on the track takes the lead and creates the flow on the track without overwhelming the vocals from Tucker.

S.J. Tucker stays in the jazz side of her music with the song “Believe in Lullabies”. With this track, Tucker’s vocal delivery will remind many of jazz vocalists from days gone by. The clear, beautiful sound of Tucker’s voice is the focal point on this track. The lyrical content will also remind listeners of songs from yesterday as the track truly sounds like something that belongs in the Great American Songbook. The track “Believe in Lullabies” ends up being one of the strongest tracks on Stolen Season from S.J. Tucker.

With the track “Girl into Devil (I Belong to Me),” S.J. Tucker lets out her inner storyteller. The lyrics of the song revolve around a little girl who encounters someone who wants to know who she belongs to. Within the lyrics of the song come gems such as “It all comes down to choices, but you’ve only the hard ones left.” With passages like that, the song feels very much like a story set to music.

The album’s title track is one of the strongest moments on the release. “Stolen Season” is a folk-rock track that features acoustic guitar, cello and percussion. The song’s lyrics revolve around a relationship of not-so-perfect love set within a fairy tale setting. The music of the track creates the perfect background for the story that plays out in Tucker’s lyrics. The addition of the cello to the music gives the track a nice orchestral feeling, especially near the end of the track where the music builds. The final seconds of the track and the lyrics contained within will leave the listener smiling.

The newest release from S.J. Tucker comes to a close with the track “Little Bird”. The track comes with an acoustic rock approach with a very upbeat feel to it. The uplifting lyrics will give anyone hope. The track brings Stolen Season to a close on a very upbeat note. The CD finishes comes complete with another version of the track “Believe in Lullabies”. While the first version feels very jazzy, the second version of the song has a deeper, darker feel to it with electric guitar, electric bass and cello. The second version feels more like a blues song while the first version was closer to jazz.

With the inclusion of the fairy tales and other references in her writing, S.J. Tucker’s songs are unique in their style. Stolen Season from S.J. Tucker is a wonderful find as the release has many different influences in it and that makes the album fun.

Reviewer: Matheson Kamin Rating: ***** (five stars)

(Click HERE to hear the track “Stolen Season” from S.J. Tucker)