Sarabeth Tucek - Get Well Soon
by Jamie Rowland
published: 7 / 4 / 2011

Label:
Sonic Cathedral
Format: CD
intro
Frequently enthralling second album from folk-influenced American singer-songwriter, Sarabeth Tucek
Sarabeth Tucek sounds like Karen Carpenter singing Cat Power – and if you can conjure that up in your mind, you should be able to imagine how good that is. 'Get Well Soon' is the follow-up to her 2007 self-titled debut. That album didn’t really recover from having its strongest song, ‘Something for You’ as its opener, with none of the proceeding songs living up to its promise. With her second effort, Tucek has made an album which stands up as a whole piece –presumably benefitting from having all the songs written in the same period, as opposed to being a collection of the best work from the formative years of writing (as many debuts are). There is no sense of 'Get Well Soon' tailing off you make your way through it; there are peaks and troughs certainly – although “troughs” is actually a bit harsh; there are peaks and smaller peaks – hillocks, if you will – but overall the quality of the songwriting is consistently high, and at its best enthralling. Some of the best tracks on the album appear a few songs in; ‘The Fireman’ and ‘Smile for No One’ in particular are songs which have the power to make you stop whatever you’re doing and just listen. There is a slight glut in the middle section; some of the rockier moments on the record don’t match up to the folkier songs, but this is not true across the board, and the Elysian Fields influenced ‘Rising’ sets the album back on course. The album’s closer and title track, ‘Get Well Soon’ is one of the best on the record, and brings proceedings to a gentle end, but an end which leaves you ready for more from Tucek. Hopefully her next recording will be with us before another four years is up.
Track Listing:-
1 The Wound And The Box2 Wooden
3 A View
4 The Fireman
5 Smile For No One
6 Things Left Behind
7 State I Am In
8 At The Bar
9 Rising
10 The Doctor
11 Exit Ghost
12 Get Well Soon
Label Links:-
http://www.soniccathedral.co.uk/https://www.facebook.com/soniccathedral.uk
https://twitter.com/soniccathedral
https://www.youtube.com/user/https%3A//www.youtube.com/soniccathedral
interviews |
Interview (2011) |
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At a show in London, Sarabeth Tucek speaks to Jamie Rowland about her much acclaimed second album, 'Get Well Soon', and the therapautic nature of her songwriting |
live reviews |
Captain's Rest, Glasgow, 5/9/2001 |
In an intimate show Andy Cassidy is impressed by both Los Angeles based singer-songwriter Sarabeth Tucek and her support act, local band Captain and the Kings, at the Captain's Rest in Glasgow |
reviews |
Sarabeth Tucek (2008) |
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Convincing debut album from San Francisco-based singer-songwriter Sarabeth Tucek which nevertheless doesn't, however, quite live up to its initial promise |
Something for You (2007) |
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