Finishing School - Destination Girl
(Telegraph Company)
This is the debut solo album from the prolific keyboardist Sasha Bell, moonlighting from her day jobs in Essex Green and Ladybug Transistor (she's also a member of The Sixth Great Lake and recorded in the pre-Essex Green outfit Guppyboy). The twangy organ (!) and guitar-driven opener "Reno" immediately grabs your attention with its bouncy melody, reminiscent of the similar "Reno, Nevada" from Mimi and Richard Farina, although Sasha's tune may be even catchier. And while Bell's voice is not her greatest asset ("Day Is Over" is a groaningly painful example), I wish she hadn't distorted it so much on "Hair," an otherwise pretty slice of pop pie with her memorable little flute break in the middle. That said, I did like her faux British accent on the string-driven title track, which, forty years ago, could have been a number one hit for the likes of a Jackie De Shannon or Petula Clark.
However, if she expects to get anywhere lyrically in this world, she's gotta come up with a better couplet than "In the bathroom of your mind/People linger uninvited" from "New Sensation." I do love that xylophone coda though. It's something that Lawrence might've added to any number of his Denim or Go-Kart Mozart concoctions. Other winners include "Silent Space," with it's ominous harpsichord, castanets, strings, cheesy cha-cha keys, and calliope pump organ combining to deliver the album's quirkiest pop ditty (too bad it sort of fizzles out at the end), and her giddy organ intro to "Morning Light," which in another life could've been one of those perky, uplifting Davy Jones-sung Monkees' hits a la "Daydream Believer" or " I Can't Get Her Out of My Mind." And while I don't know who "Rowan" is, I love his dancehall piano-driven "Theme," complete with its far out phased drums (from Ladybug's San Fadyl) and "Sgt. Pepper"-ish string arrangements (kudos again to longtime collaborators Claudia Chopek on violin and cellist Michelle Schifferele-Marzulli) that I wouldn't mind revisiting to help cheer me up on a gloomy, rainy day.
Finally, the criminally short (half hour) album ends with "Page 16," boasting a twangy big beat, a swaying, hum-along melody and a sweet sing-along chorus that's guaranteed to put the biggest smile on your face that you'll have all year. A lightweight romp through a box of confectioner's sugar, Destination Girl is the year's most fun listen. Just make sure your dentist's number is on speed dial!
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