Careful Confessions Leads to Little Me– Life and Music According to Sara Bareilles. LA STORY Musical Profile, Podcast and Blog!

I first came across Sara Bareilles at the Hotel Cafe Tour at the House of Blues Anaheim as the closing night performance.

I had never heard of most of the musicians on the bill and was impressed (hard to do typically.) But this group was sensational and one of the stand-outs for my friend Cheryl and I (which is a separate podcast review of the concert) was Sara Bareilles. This singer with the rocking gorgeous voice plays  piano and writes her own lyrics that any one can identify with– particularly the girls because we all know what it’s like to have our hearts broken, shattered, trampled on and tossed back to us in so many little pieces. Her voice is pure, clean and has a huge range and depth of emotion that most don’t have these days. Reminscent of the singers from the 40’s and 50’s, she’s very much a chanteuse with a low key attitude.

Luckily, Sara Bareilles spared us some time from her very busy touring schedule to talk to us. She’s been criss-crossing the country and working on her new CD from Epic Records (due to launch soon) called  Little
Voice.  Her current CD — Careful Confessions— is what we are talking about today and if you can find a copy– BUY IT! Don’t wait and think about it. Just do it!

It’s a phenomenal CD and one that has been in my car since November and every time I hear it, I laugh, I cry, I sing along and am also dying to get her sheet music for piano too because the melodic lines of her piano playing underscore some of the melancholy tones of the music.

What is Careful Confessions all about? Think of it as a  peek into the heart, soul, and heartaches of Sara Bareilles as "everywoman" but also as herself. She talks about the pluses and the huge minuses or relationships– especially those that go bad. She talks the talk because she’s walked the walk– and maybe still does. Her lyricism is striking and metaphors are phenomenal.

Gravity is a song about the pull of her feelings for a man where it she loves him — and it doesn’t seem to be very reciprocal– but that he "magnetically" draws her to him– "  to hold me without touch; keep me without chains".. and she has a hard time breaking away because of his "gravity". "You’re neither friend nor foe," he "keeping  me down". She is pleading for her to leave her be– to let her go and her singing, her passion, emotions are apparent– both live and on the CD. 

Undertow deals with the ocean metaphor of a riptide/undertow.  Her lyrics take you  to her repeating history of finding something (someone) that she can’t have. She only wants things when you tell her she can’t have it. He comes and goes  and  "heart breaks in a heartbeat…. should have warned me of the undertow and I couldn’t find a better man to let me go". It’s the self-repeating pattern of the "waves going to break" and the jazzy feel and sweet tones and the rhythmic of her piano matching up with her musical presentation makes this one a winner. It’s addicting.

Love on the Rocks— one of my personal favorites. She exemplifies the Billie Holiday type of chanteuse quality. Her lyrics show the ups and downs and how she knows that it’s not going to work out- and that this is the "last time that you’ll hear the beautiful sound of  love coming down". Her bridge lyrics is a perfect description of love as a drink on a hot summer night when nothing is cooler than the icy rim of a glass against the forehead.

Responsible — soft acoustic guitar.. slower yet a lower key in pace and tone. It’s almost the dance of two lovers who are circling each other  –both in knowledge of having been lovers  yet also because they are finding that they don’t know each other well– and that "careful confessions"  are what is driving her to him to "love him a little at a time".  She’s losing patience with walking on the edge– coming to him on his terms.

One Sweet Love— it’s a beautiful tale of what she gives to a man to get him — the time, the effort, the giving of herself to get a taste of one sweet love.

Fairytale–amusing, lovely, innovative,  sharply smart– and should be the anthem for most women out there because life is not a fairy tale and excuse the rip of a title of a book –but  Cinderella Was a Liar. Bareilles doesn’t want a fairytale prince, she wants a man. Check out the HILARIOUSLY great video for this song here. Well done and actually should be "required listening/watching" for every woman out there.

Come Round Soon is a beautiful bluesy, jazzy song about a guy who is a thunderstorm of a heartbreak and her analogies regarding addiction and storms is perfectly nailed.  This guy has heartbreak written all over him and she’s hoping that he’s going to come back and see her as a love.

Inside Out  is a soft acoustic guitar based song that is gives more play to Sara’s lovely voice that sounds a lot like the best of singers from the 40’s and 50’s– with real fire, feeling and depth. It’s an explanation of  who she is or will be eventually.

City a luscious tune that’s just Sara and her piano LIVE! It’s her as she really is at her best.

Red is another live performance. It’s a lovely song– not her strongest material but it’s definitely good and would be fabulous LIVE. It shows off her strength as a singer. She’s not someone you have to "mike up".. she’ s got the vocal chops.

My Love is the last on the CD and it’s  about the love she’s searching for– the man and what and who he needs to be. Pretty– and a great background piece for a  movie or show.

One that I wish was on the CD was LOVE SONG which is on her website. It’s a smokin’ song that’s definitely about standing up to the guy who’s threatening to leave.

So peeps, sit back and take a listen to this podcast. It’s not too long.

Sara Bareilles.. the voice of "everywoman" who has experienced the trials of relationships gone awry…. and she’s amazing!

MP3 File

Sara’s Tour Schedule

Apr 15 2007  8:00  Diesel Pittsburgh
Apr 16 2007 8:00  or (?)   9:30 Club Washington
Apr 17 2007 8:00A  Paradise Rock Club Boston
Apr 18 2007 8:00A  The Icon Buffalo, New York
Apr 21 2007 8:00A   Park West Chicago, Illinois
Apr 22 2007 8:00A   The Madhatter Covington
Apr 28 2007 8:00A   Exit, Nashville, Tennessee
May 2 2007 8:00A   Fine Line Music Cafe Minneapolis,
May 3 2007 8:00A   Pabst Theater Milwaukee, Wisconsin
May 7 2007 8:00A   House of Blues San Diego, California
May 8 2007 8:00A    Henry Fonda Theatre Hollywood,
Yay.. LA!! 
May 10 2007 8:00A  Fillmore San Francisco, California
May 12 2007 8:00A  Neumo’s Seattle, Washington
May 13 2007 8:00A  Richards on Richards Vancouver, British Columbia
May 14 2007 8:00A  Wonder Ballroom Portland, Oregon

Her band consists of:
Sara Bareilles – Vocals, Piano
Javier Dunn – Guitar
Josh Day – Drums, Percussion

You can find Sara Bareilles on www.myspace.com/sarabareilles or www.sarabmusic.com

I would like to thank Sara for her time and patience on this podcast, for the links to the videos on youtube and also the  photos. She’s really terrific and very giving to those who love her music.

Stevie Wilson

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