Adey Bell’s newest collection is a brief, but impactful three-track released titled Venus Exalted Vol. 2 – Tribute to the Dearly Departed. It can lay claim to being among her most memorable releases yet.
There is definitely a melancholic air surrounding these compositions. They are in part, as the EP title implies, chronicles of loss. However, Bell doesn’t succumb to despair. These are musical documents about discovering the strength to move forward and continue the work of those who have left our side. The Ashville, North Carolina singer/songwriter, and musician crafts ideal vehicles for carrying that out.
Bell composed “North Star” as a tribute to the courage and historical significance of Daniel Ellsberg. His recent death prompted many to look back on Ellsberg’s contributions regarding transparency, or lack thereof, from our government through his revealing the United States government’s clandestine actions during the Vietnam War. Bell’s “North Star” is a breathtaking poetic invocation of his bravery.
Much of her compositional sense builds around the interaction between her vocals and the piano. She tacks on an appropriate amount of atmosphere to further enhance the theatrical qualities of this and other tracks. However, it isn’t a solo performance. Bell works stately yet muscular drumming into the performance injecting a sense of gravitas into an already meaningful performance. The generous presence of vocal effects she uses to convey her singing is never distracting or ornamental.
The second track, “Phoenix”, elaborates on the textures of the first cut. Bell has a talent for producing highly stylized yet substantive pieces that work with a limited array of instruments. Her ability to maintain freshness within variations on a general theme sets her apart from the pack and testifies to the range of her imaginative powers. “Phoenix” is an excellent illustration of this. It has more physicality than the first song without moving too far from Bell’s musical wheelhouse.
“Prayer” has a similar tenor. However, it does show how many stylistic rabbits Bell can pull out of her hat. The track works as a cumulation for the collection. The reverential trappings are more pronounced than its predecessors and, in keeping with its title, there’s a more deliberate sense of development. It never sounds plotted out. Bell retains the freshness of divine utterance rather than slipping into overcooked predictability. Finding another variation on the same general tone presiding over the release helps unify the three tracks into a larger, if unstated, whole.
Adey Bell’s songwriting isn’t commercial. Nor does she aspire to such a label. Instead, we’re treated to unfiltered self-expression that reaches for the mantle of performed art. Venus Exalted Vol. 2 – Tribute to the Dearly Departed is a brief but meaningful work of wonders that invites repeated listens and feels like a collection listeners can call on when they seek inspiration. The cool and calm collected wisdom emanating from these songs is a thing of beauty, and it rates among Bell’s finest recorded work yet. However, she’s far from finished, and we await to hear wherever her creative journey leads her to next.
Mindy McCall
