January 23, 2018

Inara George’s Shimmering Melodies

A new album from The Bird and the Bee singer offers bittersweet reflections on bygone youth.

Album Review

Inara George
Dearest Everybody
Release Me

As half of The Bird and the Bee, her collaboration with star producer Greg Kurstin (Adele, Foo Fighters et al.), poised singer-songwriter Inara George makes witty, sardonic pop. On her own, this charming LA native prefers gentler, less-ironic material that relies on acoustic textures and tackles big issues with affecting directness. Shaped by gorgeous melodies and understated arrangements, Dearest Everybody is an entrancing rainy-day album that shimmers from start to finish. The elegant “Young Adult” revisits callow times, recalling, “We didn’t care at all/Because caring meant that we weren’t invincible,” and asking, “Where is the line between all this joy and all this sorrow?” Elsewhere, “A Bridge” offers a stunning a capella expression of tenderness laced with lush Beach Boys-style harmonies, and “Stars” ponders mortality to the melancholy strains of a string quartet. With its bittersweet reflections on bygone youth and adult loss, this lovely, eloquent work will strike a chord with anyone perpetually striving to make sense of it all.

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