Marla Mase: Speak [Deluxe] (True Groove)
I have rarely been as excited -- or intimidated -- about writing a review. For a writer to suggest that he is speechless would not simply be an oxymoron, but also a quick route to ending his career. So I will speechify, knowing that my words are unlikely to match the feeling behind them: extreme admiration, bordering on awe.
With few exceptions (Zappa, The Church, some folk music), I have never been a fan of "spoken word" or "talk-sung" songwriting. [N.B. I am not including rap and its relatives here, since they are a different kettle of fish.] To my ears, almost all such writing comes across as either "forced," unintentional parody, or downright cringe-worthy. A writer needs to have a particularly special gift to put across this type of writing in a meaningful and listenable -- to say nothing of compelling -- way. Marla Mase has that gift. In spades.
Part of that gift is making her spoken-word and talk-sung "stories" sound folksy and direct, when in fact it is clear that it takes a remarkable level (and breadth) of knowledge, intelligence, thought and creativity (lyrical, rhythmical, musical) to write them. As well, judging by her first two albums, it is also clear that Ms. Mase has an extraordinary grasp, control, even mastery of a variety of musical styles, including all manners of rock (standard, light, heavy, et al.), as well as funk, jazz, classical, talk-sung, and spoken word. (I am sure I am missing others.) Indeed, her mastery is such that she often seems to make it all seem so easy. Trust me when I say: it isn't.
Ms. Mase all but sprang full-grown from the head of Zeus with her frighteningly brilliant debut, A Brief Night Out. [N.B. The opening track, "Things That Scare Me," is among the greatest opening tracks of any debut rock album.] Not content to start her recording career with a simple album of original songs, A Brief Night Out is a concept album, a mini-"rock opera" about a woman having a midlife crisis. And Ms. Mase has performed this one-hour (45 minutes on CD) rock opera both with her extraordinary collaborating band and a cappella. In that show, and its music and lyrics, she combines the raw emotion of Patti Smith, the spoken-song brilliance of Lou Reed, the musical eclecticism of Frank Zappa, and the fearless performance style of Iggy Pop. Indeed, Ms. Mase not only channels these and other influences beautifully, I would suggest that she could claim to be a legitimate heir to the mantles of all of these legends. Small wonder that I find myself nearly unequal to the task of reviewing her sophomore album -- which, while not a concept album, has nevertheless been turned into a performance piece that Ms. Mase will be performing this summer, including at New York City's Summerstage.
Speak(the "Deluxe" signifies tracks not on the original CD) contains 16 unrelated compositions (to call all of them "songs" would seem almost pejorative). The difficulty in gauging the success (or relative success) of each is hampered by the fact that there is so little in current music to which to compare them: Ms. Mase's musical eclecticism and often iconoclastic lyrics are rare, and her peerless fearlessness makes judging her music difficult. Her work is full of seeming contradictions: there is both primitivism and post-modernity; both traditionalism and a vehement, even violent, non-conformity; both a seeking of acceptance and a rejection of almost everything and everyone. She is unwilling to approach anything -- life, music, lyrics, performance, etc. -- except strictly on her own terms. "Love me for who I am, what I do, and how I do it…or don’t; I don’t care," is what she seems to be saying. And damned if this near-militant "true to oneself" attitude and tenacious integrity of principles is not remarkably successful in eliciting respect and admiration even if one does not particularly like “who she is, what she does, or how she does it.”
I happen to be one who does.
The album opens with "Scream Reprise." As an aside, opening an album with a reprise sets the tone for the type of nonconformity (and playfulness) that Ms. Mase embodies. Opening with a David Byrne-ish primitive drum rhythm, this two-chord, quasi-spoken (and sometimes yelled) piece has a barely restrained anger behind the somewhat esoteric lyrics about a woman either unable or unwilling to cry out for help. It is a very good "primer" with respect to Ms. Mase's forte. This is followed by "Piece of Peace," a straightforward and relatively simple rock song that was apparently written for the U.N. Global Peace Day celebration in Linzhou City, China, at which Ms. Mase performed and received an honorary "Messenger of Peace" award.
"Open Up My Heart" is a plaintive talk-sung tale about a princess who is too fragile to "feel," but the very protections set up against doing so are what lead her to feeling. The song is perfectly, and wonderfully, representative of Ms. Mase's storytelling ability. "Lionness" starts with one fabulous rhythm and leads to an even more fabulous one, with another superb story in the middle, this one comparing a caged lioness and her feeder with an emotionally "caged" woman and the man who "agitates" her (in a positive way).
"New Cell Phone" is another representative example of Ms. Mase's spoken-word storytelling, this time about changing her cell phone number. It is as poignant as it is humorous. This is followed by "Queen of Imperfection," a fun '70s/'80s rock redux with Blondie overtones.
"She Hooked Him Up" is among my two or three favorite pieces on the album. An infectious hyper-funky arrangement undergirds a Zappa-esque story (with effects), and is yet another Mase specialty. We then get "Divine Restlessness," a plaintive, personal and somewhat odd ballad which is possibly the songwriting polar opposite of the previous piece. "AnnaRexia" is, as its skewed-spelling title suggests, a "cause" song. However, undergirded by a reggae rhythm, it is strangely upbeat and fun for such a serious subject. (In that way, it reminds me a little of 10CC, the only group I can think of that did that pretty regularly.)
"Kill Love" begins a series of three songs that are truly representative of what makes Ms. Mase's brand of art if not unique then at least extremely rare. This one is a humorously ghoulish love/hate song. "Blog" is another spoken-word piece, this time underpinned by a melancholic arrangement. "Dance the Tango" is a truly weird song about the obituary of a friend, and ends with a sudden (i.e., out of nowhere) string quartet.
"Smithereens" is an absolutely gorgeous, breathy ballad. "Scream" is similar to the opening track, but with a sparser and more modern arrangement. "Squirm," a fun romp, has overtones of Blondie/Benatar. The album ends with Bill Laswell's remix of "AnnaRexia." (Personally, I like the original version better.)
What matters here is not how good one song is compared to another, or whether every song is a standout, or even whether this album is somehow a "masterpiece." (It is not.) Rather, what matters is the sheer degree and breadth of creativity, which seems borne out of a combination of Ms. Mase's love and mastery of multiple styles; her lyrical and musical fearlessness; her socio-politico-cultural awareness and passion; and what might be called an "urgent need" to create -- and to share those creations.
I would be hopelessly remiss if I did not mention Ms. Mase's brilliant collaborating band, led by guitarist Tomas Doncker (who also serves as producer). It seems clear that Ms. Mase and Mr. Doncker work extremely closely in creating the often extraordinary arrangements that are the foundation for Ms. Mase's creative and compelling brand of music and performance art. Each arrangement is uniquely "appropriate" (i.e., choices of instrumentation, rhythm, sound effects, etc. are not simply foundational, but are integral components of the overall "effect" of each piece), and the musicianship is top-notch. The production and mix are also superb for this type of music, with a perfect balance between the underlying arrangements and Ms. Mase's vocal performances. As a vocalist, Ms. Mase has a perfectly lovely and enjoyable singing voice. However, it is, of course, the performance aspect of her vocals that matters, and in this she is simply incomparable.
With influences that include Frank Zappa, David Byrne, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and other greats of what might be called "musical eclecticism"; a fearless and almost tangible passion; and a keen eye and ear for socio-politics and socio-culture, Ms. Mase is truly a force to be reckoned with. I very much look forward to her future output. And if you live in New York City, don't forget to look for her at Summerstage at Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn on June 15th.