Lowell
We Loved Her Dearly
Reviewed by: Brian Roser
This album is mostly about grrrl power. The music is sometimes serene, sometimes rocking, occasionally melancholy, but always uncompromising. There is a good deal of variation in the music and Lowell always keeps us guessing from track to track. The lyrics, however, are consistently poetic, poignant and sometimes downright raw.
Her progressive social politics are most clearly on display in “LGBT.” A word about LGBT positive themes in pop music. There aren’t any. OK, after being smacked upside the head by Lady Gaga, I will amend that to say ‘not many.’ Hip Hop continues to be a bastion of homophobia, while most other genres ignore it all together. Also, note to Katy Perry: you are not bi-curious if you are worried about what your boyfriend thinks of you kissing girls.
On another track, “I Killed Sara V”, Lowell sings that the people who buy her music are probably the ones from families by whom downtrodden are currently being trodden. On the one hand, it is biting the hand that feeds her a bit. On the other hand, it is the sharpest example of her uncompromising attitude. Her views are her own and tact will not stand in the way of her message.
This is the first album for Lowell, full name: Elizabeth Lowell Boland. She got her start with Apparatjik and is now striking out on her own. With We Loved Her Dearly, she has struck gold.
Rating: Bad-Ass
