by Derek Lynch
It starts out innocently enough: Reina is crooning throughout “Sweet Annie,” the opening track of The Cooling while restrained and pregnant, her band pulses underneath. The song abates just enough to make me think it’s wrapping up, but as Reina sings in a near-whisper “I’ll grab my gun and start a war” she kicks off into a chunky coda complete with face-melting guitar and “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” grit. It’s early in the album, but it’s already clear: Reina and friends are older, wiser, and maybe just a little colder.
At this point, there’s little to be said about The Cooling that hasn’t already been touched on by critics. Reina del Cid wanted to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she’s not confined to easy folk and Sunday morning live music videos (which if you’re not familiar with, be sure to check out her archives).
The album has been years in the making and since its release in June has been pushing her into a higher tier of popularity than she’s seen thus far. Everything is electric, sizzling with excitement and energy. Reina’s vast vocabulary and literary influences, however, remain a strength and a depth charge. For a perfect example, listen to the unbridled “Mice and Men” and “Xanadu.”
However, acoustic folk ballads “Morse Code” and “The Fall” remind us that underneath it all, it’s still Reina pulling at our feels with poignant stories and sometimes she still prefers to speak with no unnecessary flourish.
Catch her October 16th at Icehouse – http://www.icehousempls.com/events/2015/10/16/the-meadows-cd-release-reina-del-cid
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