 | Girls in Trouble |
Girls in Trouble (the band) is the alter ego of Alicia Jo Rabins, who released Girls in Trouble (the album) in November of last year. After I gave this a couple of listens, I decided to find out just who Girls in Trouble were, and as it turns out there is basically nothing out there on this rather excellent and promising debut record, which is a shame because top to bottom, this album is a real pleasure and very well crafted. Hit the jump for the full review and sample MP3s.
This is a concept album in that each song are about female figures in the old testament, and none of the songs are the happiest of times…hence, they are girls in trouble. Although such a concept may sound too kitschy or cheesy, it works rather well because the songs are so well done. I confess that I have no idea who any of the girls are, and my mother, who holds two theological degrees (masters and doctorate), has only been able to identify a couple of the heroines in the songs. Meaning, the lyrics are rather cryptic, and the heroines are very obscure, so any gimmicky fears you may have about the lyrics would be unfounded.
I do know that one of the songs (Hunter/The Bee Lays Her Honey) is about Sampson’s first fiancee, who, along with her father, were burned alive in a house after her father married her to another man after Sampson left. Happy stuff, this. Throughout the album, the lyrics are fragile and absolutely heartbreaking at times. The best example is the very catchy and upbeat, but devastating Mountain/When My Father Came Back.
This song is about the daughter of a general who promised God he would sacrifice the first person in his family he saw upon returning home if he won the war. The man ended up sacrificing his daugher, who went willingly with him, and the lyrics tell the story and an exceptionally haunting way – the song closes with “It was the last day of my life; the sun had never shone so bright. My father held the knife. I kept my eyes open wide, and angels came to me, with faces of my sisters and they filled my eyes with tears.” The end.
(I have just now realized that JDub records, the label, has a nifty page up that is a guide for each of the songs and who they are about here.)
Overall the album is sometimes folksey and delicate (Where You Go, Hunter/Bee Lays Her Honey), while much more poppy in other places (Secrets/You’re Always Watching) and is very strong from start to finish. There are a couple of areas that stumble a bit, and the back 1/3 of the album is not as great as the first 2/3, but overall this is a very good listen. An absolute standout track that isn’t linked at the bottom is Hunter/Bee Lays Her Honey. It starts slow with a simply picked violin, but builds to an emotional conclusion. Relaxed and beautifully arranged, Girls in Trouble breezes through it’s short 34 minute play time and by the end another listen is a great idea.
Daigle Rating – 81
Girls in Trouble – Secrets/You’re Always Watching from Girls in Trouble
Girls in Trouble – Mountain/When My Father Came Back from Girls in Trouble
