Terra Lightfoot’s pulsating album Healing Power is unlike anything you’re likely to hear any time soon — and you’re unlikely to get these earworms out of your head, either. Healing Power is what I can only describe as heartland funk — these songs explore territory firm and incognito, with Glenn Michem (Blue Rodeo)’s intrepid percussion and Elijah Abrams’ nimble bass adding jazz-like textures to Lightfoot’s meditation on love and loss and the accidents that happen in between.
“Cross Border Lovers” serves as an arresting introduction gets us in the mood for an album that I wish I could experience live; bands don’t get tighter than this and you can feel the chemistry from the very first bar. Lightfoot vents frustration, desire, and joy as she seeks to connect with her cross-border lover, though we are overwhelmed by the narrator’s confidence in their happy reunion.
But doubt does creep in. “Someone Else’s Feeling,” is a document of the doubts that plague us as we move through relationships. Which voices do we listen to? What’s grounded in reality? What are our own insecurities? Lightfoot’s smooth alto (which reminds me of Maia Sharp‘s) provides grit and authority; the confessional nature of this song is touching and self-assured. It’s just a passing moment, after all.
But the album ultimately culminates in tragedy. “Fired My Man” is perhaps an inevitable conclusion to a strainged relationship, but, the band can’t resist an upbeat groove. Even in its more subdued (though hardly quiet) moments, Healing Power reminds us of an important lesson: there’s music, beauty — and fun — to be had everywhere.
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