I have a rather contrary association with Sara Rachele’s devastating ballad, “Rebecca.” It was the last day of school and I literally had nothing else to do, so I sat at my desk and queued up the song for a second listen to get a better understanding of the lyrics. Suddenly one of my colleagues burst into the room and exclaimed, “Check your Twitter RIGHT NOW.”
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how this little lesbian learned she could get married in all fifty states.
Both tracks on Madison County were recorded in a field outside Athens, GA in one take. It is one helluva five minutes. The side A song, “Rebecca” is a beautiful and honest unburdening, the story of living — and reconciling — with the regret of abortion.
I’m concerned that I don’t have the words to discuss “Rebecca,” which seems to be autobiographical, with the reverence and sensitivity it deserves. She lays it all on the table for us and more than any other song I’ve written about, this is one that has to speak for itself.
The EP concludes with “It Is Well (With My Soul)”, a traditional song that cuts some of the pain of the previous song.
Rachele doesn’t seem to have recorded a full album yet.*** Listening to some of her other singles, Madison County, is far from a fluke. Even though you can stream these two songs on Bandcamp indefinitely, I urge you to purchase the tracks so we can get the twelve-song treatment from this remarkable artist.
Sara Rachelle — Official, Facebook, iTunes, Bandcamp
***EDITS: I made a number of booboos on this one! I fixed Ms. Rachele’s last name in the headline; I mis-typed “It is Well (With My Soul)”; and, it turns out, my research wasn’t that extensive and Ms. Rachele does indeed have a full album, which we can all enjoy here and here.