B.B. Cole’s Of Love and Loss finds Loretta Lynn’s initial inspiring impulse broadening into an artistic vision that speaks to modern listeners while continuing to ground itself in a familiar past. Her 2022 debut Outgrowing Ourselves demonstrated that this left-field talent, Austrian-born and gifted with skills that cross every border, possessed an unique voice worth hearing. The album release boasts a multi-media dimension. Cole collaborated with French illustrator Ariane Dudych to produce accompanying illustrations for each of the dozen songs. However, don’t fret – Cole’s mystical influences never impinge on the collection’s musical quality.
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Cole begins the release from a place of strength. Her duet with American ex-pat singer/songwriter Marc Miner, “(The Tale of) Lady Primrose”, has an underrated theatrical edge thanks to key components such as the simmering introduction. It’s a character study displaying Cole’s songwriting talents; she’s convincing hearing her spinning the tale of the recent ex-convict Primrose and her rough and ready machinations. She alternates lead vocals with Miner throughout the cut, and their voices are well-matched. Cole appends a strong American South/country influence onto this cut, but the latent rocker in Cole’s spirit burns through.
“Poor Beatrice” is another character-driven song. It’s another juxtaposition of musical flavors. The banjo underpinning the arrangement isn’t an afterthought – it provides a steady musical voice contrasting the assertive electric guitar playing. Cole and her cohorts never overplay the six-string twang; it bites without sounding cliched. Outstanding backing vocals add to the overall polish of “Close at Hand” without ever making the song sound too slick. Cole’s ability to wear several different musical faces without ever dizzying listeners adds to her appeal. It helps this rate as one of Of Love and Loss’ best tracks.
A sternum-rattling bass line anchors the light touch of the shuffle propelling “The Lion and the Virgin”. It’s one of the album’s best lyrics, without question, and illustrates the significant progress Cole has made since her debut. Cole detours into blues territory for the album’s sixth track, “The Sun Song”. It isn’t purist blues but incorporates enough pop sensibilities that it broadens its potential appeal. The electric guitar playing, especially the lead work, is especially potent and highlights the song.
The languid swing of “Pour Me a Drink” supplies listeners with one of Of Love and Loss’ best examples of Cole’s stylistic elasticity. It has a warm, inviting sound demanding the listener’s full attention. Superb vocalist Lorae, an artistic fixture in B.B. Cole’s orbit, joins her for the late album track “Over Before It Started”. It begins with a bit of musical sleight of hand. The song initially promises to be a piano ballad, perhaps, before segueing into a mid-tempo jaunt.
However, Cole doesn’t stop there. “Over Before It Started” layers seamless tempo shifts throughout the arrangement, and it gives the song surprising dynamism. Her talents dovetail well with Lorae’s gifts, and it makes for one of the album’s best listening experiences. The pedal steel and overall lonesome whine of the finale, “Coffee Eyes”, is an elegiac and confident way for Cole to conclude Of Love and Loss. It’s an album brimming with ample rewards, and we can expect her to continue working at a high level for years.
Garth Thomas