Jacq Becker, otherwise known as Mama B, can claim with some justification that she’s unlike any other pop performer working today. The Newport Beach, California native grew up surrounded by music. Her mother played in a band that embraced rock, Motown, and soul, and Becker often joined the musical festivities. Becker’s early musical influences included performers such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Celine Dion, among others, before moving on to loftier passions. Her time in high school and at Yale University saw her perform and study jazz, classical, and acappella. She began her professional music career after graduation under the tutelage of renowned producers such as RedOne and Stuart Matthewmen.
Her deceptively ambitious debut Imaginology aspires to be a broad-based experience. Becker has written music and lyrics that parents and small children can enjoy without the former ever feeling like it’s something they must endure. She builds her child-like lyrics around effervescent and appealing pop song attributes familiar to everyone. The first single from the collection,
“Puffer Fish,” illustrates her approach.
The pop music strengths of the performance are simple and unadorned. Mama B relies on tried and true virtues such as melody to enchant listeners and, in particular, her vocal melody latches onto listeners after a single listen. She emphasizes the child-like narrative without sounding like she’s lowering herself or her talents to meet the audience’s expectations. It adopts a recognizable structure that both adult and younger listeners will enjoy.
The instrumentation is as direct as the lyrical content. Anyone hoping to hear virtuosic or ostentatious displays of playing talent should look elsewhere. Becker shapes this song to appeal to her younger listeners, first and foremost, but even older listeners will find themselves impressed by Mama B’s penchant for memorable melodies and unadorned musicality.
There is no need to regard liking this song as a guilty pleasure. Mama B’s “Puffer Fish” reminds us why we started listening to music as children. The mysterious effects of melody and chord progressions on human consciousness are part of the bedrock that makes “Puffer Fish” work so simply and beautifully. The production artfully manages the song’s spartan parts and renders it an enjoyable experience.
Garth Thomas