Sometimes albums are said to be ahead of their time. Dark Side of the Moon, Bitches Brew, In the Court of the Crimson King, Autobahn and others were hugely influential, as they presaged styles that were to become popular in the years following.
When Paula Cole released Revolution in September 2019, it spoke to the future as well, though only by a few months, and in terms of the nation’s mood rather than stylistically. As America and the world struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic and especially in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder by police and subsequent protests, time has seemingly caught up with the most recent of Cole’s 10 albums.
Revolution challenges social injustice head-on, from the role and subjugation of women to the plights of racial and ethnic minorities. Yet it’s not a loud, angry album; rather, it is personal and intense.
It also brings different musical elements into the mix. Paula Cole’s music has been described as dreamy pop with influences from jazz, electronica or hip hop, depending on the release. Now add the sound of ’60s protest music, both folk and soul to that mix, and you’ve got a good idea of what Revolution sounds like.
Titles like “Shake the Sky” give hints about the project’s direction. The song itself is a girl-group singalong, though the girl group is all Cole, all the time. With its rousing, shrieking chorus – “Sister’s gonna stand up to all the bullying; she gonna rise, she gonna rise, she gonna rise” – it’s a modern-day protest song. Deep in the mix is Chris Bruce on resonator guitar.
On “Blues In Gray,” Paul Cole said she is singing for the shy girl, for the women who didn’t get to bring all they are into the light. The moody music reflects that tone, while her singing itself is some of the best on the album, from soaring to a soft fade at the end. “Silent” bemoans the way women too often stay silent because it is easier than speaking up – possibly including Cole herself.
Her choice of outside material continues in that vein. Her soft, slightly jangly version of Marvin Gaye’s “The Ecology” is a true highlight, even incorporating bird sounds into the mix. And the thing is, it sounds perfectly in tune with the rest of the album, in terms of mood, lyrical content, even sound.
Ah yes, the sound. Musically, Revolution finds Paula Cole in fine voice, with mostly acoustic backing, from her own piano (and clarinet!) to upright bass. You can trace the sound back to her hit “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone,” but her voice has matured.
Lyrically, she has as well. Cole returns to the need to speak up throughout Revolution, to be true to oneself, challenge those who would subjugate others, whatever the circumstances and whatever the cost.
“I don’t know why, but the muse is alive right now,” Paula Cole has said about this album. That’s obvious – and it’s a good thing.
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