A Girl Called Eddy: Been Around (2020)

It's kinda funny. As middle age creeps into my life, I find myself increasingly drawn to the sort of music I shunned in my youth, the same kitsch my parents used to play while I was up in my room cranking Who's Next. And, no, it doesn't mean I'm blaring the Carpenters from the car windows, but I'm a lot more open to the softer side of early '70s music than I would have anticipated.  Or at least that music as interpreted by modern rockers.

Here's a brand new album that has totally captivated me.  Erin Moran has intermittently recorded music over the past couple decades in various guises; this is her second album as A Girl Called Eddy (the last coming out way back in 2004).  And it's terrific, a nice pastiche of Todd Rundgren and Burt Bacharach and Carole King and Laura Nyro, with occasional touches of Steely Dan's smooth jazz-tinged classic rock.  Which doesn't mean it sounds dated; it fits in squarely alongside other contemporary singer-songwriters from Aimee Mann to Shawn Colvin.  But there's a familiar, retro vibe (often in the form of some nice brassy back-up orchestration) that provides a pleasant shading and sets it apart from other folk-tinged women singers. It's a perfectly pleasant accompaniment for Sunday morning brunch or a dinner party (and, yeah, I guess I've reached the age where I need music for Sunday morning brunch and dinner parties).

While it's the sort of album that, perhaps by design, often bleeds together, there are a few songs that jump out on first or second listen.  "Two Hearts" has a nice jaunty beat and breaks out into a fully engaging chorus, a big band and harmonies making the song just bounce; "Jody" has a catchy and nostalgic feel to it; "Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart" is slick middle-of-the-road pop, yet somehow without the baggage that entails; "Come To The Palisades" sounds like a terrific Tapestry outtake.  Anyway, charge up your own dinner party and give it a shot.

Here's the video for "Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart":

Here's the video for the title track:

...and an audio rip of "Jody":