Tag Archives: Ibby

Album Review: Ibby – Cross Your Heart

Posted on by
Ibby

photo by Dawn Kingston; photo courtesy of Ibby

Album Review of Ibby: Cross Your Heart

Ibby‘s Cross Your Heart is an exceptional sophomore release from this engaging, young, local Massachusetts singer/songwriter. I reviewed her hometown CD release party back in June, and I’ve been looking forward to finding time to give her album a proper review ever since.

I hear elements of pop/rock bands like Train in Ibby’s songwriting, bits of Taylor Swift in her lyrics, and a performance style that I’d begrudgingly label folk if I was forced to; begrudgingly because it’s varied and dynamic enough I could envision some of her songs achieving mainstream notoriety generally beyond the reach of the folk music sphere, so such a label is unnecessarily and unfairly limiting. Ibby’s voice is dynamic yet personal, almost always cheerful, even when the song topics aren’t and yet somehow not at odds with the song’s message, and this gives her serious pieces even more gravity. From song to song, she employs such variance in her strumming styles and tempos that the 14-song disc moves along comfortably, providing a variety of listening experiences to more easily maintain listener interest.

Ibby - Cross Your Heart

cover photo by Dawn Kingston; image courtesy of Ibby

For such a mellow-feeling album, Cross Your Heart has a lot of energy. Ibby rarely seems to pause; her songs have many lyrics, and she flows from one to the next, often using conjunctions, as if each song is just one long, run-on sentence. Hemingway would be proud. As a result, though, at the end of one of Ibby’s shows, and a bit at the end of this album, the listener is left happily out-of-breath and wondering why, given the seemingly calm nature of the music. It’s a joyful exhaustion, and something that may become one of her trademarks. Indeed, a memorable musician needs a few unique calling cards, and Ibby has enough of those to foretell a long, fruitful career.

“Burnouts” kicks the album off showcasing Ibby’s voice, so wonderfully appropriate for this disc, before picking up the tempo and growing into a bit more of an energetic number in spots. As an introduction to Ibby’s sound, it’s quite representative, and sometimes it’s the song that ends up stuck in my head. Indeed, at times several of the songs on this disc pop into my head, but – as you will, too – I have a few recurring favorites.

Ibby

photo by Dawn Kingston; photo courtesy of Ibby

“How Did I End Up Missing You” is one of my current favorites. And it showcases another of Ibby’s trademarks, an attention to interesting and precise lyrics. The uptempo cheerfulness of the music and the lyrics’ delivery belie the lyrics’ content. A favorite line, “Come home late/You were the wrong kind of busy/’Cause there’s lipstick on your collar/And I don’t wear any.” She delivers it convincingly, as if she’s maybe a decade older than she actually is, but also cheerfully, as if looking back and half-laughing at herself. I’m a sucker for cheerful delivery of not-so-happy lyrics, so this one hits a personal sweet spot.

“In the Sky” reminds me of Mark Wilkinson, both in song and strumming style. A particular song of his, in fact. And while I’m a little late to the Mark Wilkinson party, his legion of loyal fans will confirm that any comparison to him is an immense compliment. As you might guess, that makes “In the Sky” another of my personal favorites. Ibby’s vocals on this song are among her sweetest yet still exceptionally powerful. The intense guitar picking, breadth of emotion in the vocals, and the accompanying strings build the song’s intensity, as if a rubber band that keeps tightening without ever releasing before simply fading at the end. Impossible to ignore and delivered as if each lyric is significantly insightful.

Ibby at The Farmer's Daughter

photo by Geoff Wilbur

“Breathin'” is another favorite. It starts cheerfully and builds exuberantly, with the whole song shining like one great big smile. You know, but not in a too cheesy way.

Other notable songs include “Lightning Don’t Strike Twice,” a catchy blend of melody and lyrics that stands out as a likely first single. And “88 Keys,” which rises and falls powerfully, more drums-and-rhythm-driven than most of Ibby’s tunes, with a heavy aura not often found on this CD, but at the same time catchy and memorable. “Not About Rain” is among the darkest tracks on the album, brilliantly constructed and musically rather discomforting.

The cheerfully-delivered “My Dear” is another significant earworm in Ibby’s repertoire; its hooky strumming pattern ends on a cheerful note, setting the song’s mood. “You Bettered Me,” meanwhile, adds foreboding strings and a slightly different vocal delivery to create a powerful mood that is simultaneously warm and heavy; ultimately, it’s a cool sound that’s worth hearing.

And the disc closes in the only suitable way for an Ibby album, full of hope and cheer. “We Didn’t Lose” is another favorite of mine, a musically uplifting song with lyrical nuggets like “fate loves the fearless.” It’s not necessarily the most cheerful song once you dig into it, but there’s an easy feeling and happy contentedness that will leave the listener smiling.

Ibby at The Farmer's Daughter

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Upon multiple spins, Ibby’s Cross Your Heart reveals more and more musical and lyrical special moments, with the disc growing in my estimation from an already-pleased initial impression. There’s breadth and depth here that hints at a musician for whom this is just the beginning, one with the skills and instincts to continue to surprise and impress. This album still has plenty of mileage on it before I’m ready for her next one, but I’m also looking forward to hearing what else Ibby has in store for us.

I don’t see any upcoming events listed on Ibby’s Facebook page, but it’s worth keeping an eye on it and on her website. If you get a chance to see her perform live, it’s an inspiringly cheerful experience.

Live Review: Ibby at The Farmer’s Daughter

Posted on by
Ibby

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Ibby

The Farmer’s Daughter, North Easton, MA

June 16, 2017

Tonight’s show was an album release party for Ibby’s new disc, Cross Your Heart. In the past several years, I’ve only been to one other hometown album release event at a venue filled with friends and family like this – TOS’ in Maynard last summer. Sure, I’ve been to album release concerts in the city, but this is a unique sort of event with its own energy, one where relatives, neighbors, coworkers past and present, and (especially for a recently-graduated 18-year-old like Ibby) school friends seem to comprise nearly the entire audience.

Ibby

photo by Geoff Wilbur

From the start, Ibby adorably, enthusiastically cheerful, fully enjoyed the spotlight and every moment – contagiously so, in fact; it’s clear this fearless singer-songwriter is completely at home performing.

Frequently, Ibby’s songs reminded me of other talented artists. Not in the entirety – which is to say, she has an original sound of her own – but elements of her songs recalled others for comparison. Unfortunately, I was rarely able to get beyond “what is the name of that song this reminds me of?” last night, so I’ll have to hope I can make more of those connections for you later this summer when I review the CD. Suffice it to say, Ibby’s songs will quickly feel familiar while remaining uniquely hers.

Ibby’s vocals are warm and rich with plenty of well-placed vocal cracks adding emotion and emphasis. Her strumming was steady and strong with varying patterns giving the songs unique textures. And, as I noted, her cheerful-yet-thoughtful, enthusiastic stage presence was cute and endearing. It’s a combination likely to win over any audience of music fans.

Ibby

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Ibby’s music is pop singer-songwriter fare, occasionally veering into folk-pop, sometimes sporting a hint of country, written about and inspired by events in her life. It’s a glimpse at the ups and downs of a teenager’s world, if that teenager is as introspective and self/world-aware as a good, young songwriter must be. Musically, I’d expect to hear her music in coffeehouses, nightclubs, and festivals (and on the radio). And, as with any song-driven music, it should transition well between acoustic and full-band performances, as opportunities arise, obviously sounding more folky when it’s just a girl with her acoustic guitar.

She kicked the evening off with “Breathin’,” a song driven by its strumming pattern and featuring an emotionally scratchy vocal. The next song, slightly folky pop-rocker “How Did I End Up Missing You,” coupled insistent vocals with forceful strumming, mixing a cracking voice with a combination of other tuneful vocal elements to create a memorable, distinctive-yet-familiar sound.

Ibby

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Other songs stood out during the evening, as well. “88 Keys” deployed a heavier strum, building and getting louder during the song. “Pier 17” was performed in a pop-folk style with the energy of a “travelling song,” its tempo causing it to always seem to be going somewhere. And “Lightning Don’t Strike Twice” was rather soaring and exceptionally engaging.

“My Dear” deploys a steady tempo with vocals rising and falling to pull the listener in, utilizing the insistent, emotional wail Ibby places so well (and not infrequently) in her songwriting.

During her second set, Ibby dipped into her “back catalog” a bit, with a bit more country in the sound of songs like “Dance,” which I believe she said she wrote in 8th grade, a song she performed with infectious cheerfulness, clearly having a grand time and exuding joy while singing it. She followed it with another “old favorite,” “Worst I Ever Had,” and both of these songs had this room full of her old friends singing along throughout. Like I said, hometown album release parties are a different species of animal.

Ibby

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Ibby also featured a couple new songs in the second set. One, whose title I didn’t catch, was a poignant song artistically using its words and sounds to paint a picture. The other, “Better Now,” sported an interesting rhythm and some ambitious vocal moves, including a little warble to draw attention to the bridge. This one, “Better Now,” may have legs for Ibby, as it’s catchy enough to become a singalong song by the end of the first listen.

Speaking of singalong, Ibby closed her second set with “Burnouts,” a fun “local favorite.” To that warble, Ibby adds a bit of a howl in this song, and on this particular night, with a venue singing along, she was completely emotionally and musically invested in this song; her energy only increased as the night wore on, buoyed by her own performance.

Ibby’s encore song, “Can’t Forget It,” was a sensitive, tender, touching, folky singer-songwriter piece. And then the evening ended, as the venue was closing, though the crowd would have stayed for another set.

It’s obvious Ibby isn’t a “developing talent.” She’s a developed talent whose future growth will be like that of any artist, as life events and continued maturity will provide different life experiences to write about and connected with, different viewpoints and thoughts to share. But she’s clearly “ready” now, creating engaging, emotional songs as a songwriter and performing them with infectious enthusiasm and skill.

Looking Ahead

Ibby performs again this afternoon at the Beverly Arts Festival – or she probably already has performed by now, as the All You Got Tour performers’ time slot was listed on this notice as 10:30-3:30. Follow Ibby’s Facebook page to see when and where she’ll perform next.