Nina Gordon - Bleeding Heart Graffiti

Oh, Nina, sweet Nina, you've left us high, dry, and unsatisfied for six long years. Yes, it has been exactly six years since the release of your solo debut, Tonight and the Rest of My Life. Well, the wait is over, the album is here, and so now is the time to see what six years has done for you, Miss Gordon. 2000's Tonight saw a departure from Gordon's material with the '90s alt-rock outfit Veruca Salt. The album was high gloss and sweet, with crunchy, shimmering guitar tracks playing backup to large, melancholy melodies and poetry. It was more pop than rock, more mainstream than alternative. Gordon's follow-up, the just released Bleeding Heart Graffiti illustrates that even long passages of time need not change an artist's appetite and vision for song craft. Bleeding Heart Graffiti tells of a relationship from start to bitter finish, with heavy emphasis on the latter aspect. Two songs near the beginning of the album, the superb "Christmas Lights" and the first single, "Kiss Me 'Til It Bleeds," depict the relationship in its beginning stages. Later tracks like "Watercolors" (perhaps the album's best track) and "When You Don't Want Me Anymore" illustrate the dissolution of the relationship and the emotional fallout that marks most of songs on this record. Gordon describes the tone of the record's concept best in "Watercolors" when she sings, "I'm happiest when I'm blue." And therein lays one of Gordon's biggest strengths as a songwriter: the ability to seamlessly mesh pain and happiness through songwriting. Three short interludes are evenly dispersed throughout the record. These seem to act as story cues, directing listeners to critical changes in the relationship. All three tracks fit in well with the sound of the record, but they are too short and therefore do not offer up enough substance. Instead, listeners may be left wondering why, despite the fact that all of the songs sound similar enough, some tracks stand out because of their inappropriate (read: short) length. Musically, Gordon sticks with what she does best: catchy melodies that can, at once, sound both cheerful and heart-crushing. Save the three interlude tracks on the record, any song has the potential to work as a single. Clearly Gordon has found a formula that works for her skills and her voice, and she is not afraid to stick to it. Bleeding Heart Graffiti is not the kind of music that rock purists will salivate over. Its themes are not particularly fresh. Its sound would not be called raw. The album's strengths are in its strong songwriting and in its indulgence in beautifully sweet-voiced pop melodies. This album will not change the world or push boundaries, but it is a well-crafted glimpse into the relatable predicament of getting burned by love. Obviously, Gordon took her time recording this record, but equally obvious is the fact that her time was well spent. [www.ninagordon.com]