There's something about the picture of Paula Kelley on the back of hernew release. She's staring out at you with deep, dark eyes, her handobscuring the rest of her face but revealing a coy, coquettish natureto her. I can't help but think of this image as the trailer poster forsome grand Broadway production, especially with the album's title withsubtitle. The music within only deepens the imaginary conceit, as it isreplete with lush orchestration and soaring vocals. Ladies andgentlemen, Paula Kelley, spotlights please. She's ready for her closeup, so everybody quiet down. "A New Time" begins with a clippingacoustic guitar and Kelley laying down the exposition of love like"warm August breezes" and starlight filling her face with possibility.But there is also another side to the story, one of doubt andmiscommunication that threatens to bring the strings out of theirgentle harmony, all-crashing down in dissonant cacophony. Luckily, thesong never falls apart, but rather perseveres through its delightfulduration. "Could There Be Another World" comes on in a full BurtBacharach attack, with a full orchestra of strings, horns, harp and aten-person choir to accompany Kelley's majestic voice that slips overevery lyric in warm, breathy tones. "I will take myself more seriouslythis time," she declares, as we all should. I see Kelley as the femalelead, who's relentless struggle to succeed through adversity andresolve the bonds of a lost love has still not dampened thebright-eyed, glorious optimism that lies beneath the stormy head, andcomes out in the immense walls of sound that her players (yes, it's herorchestra as denoted in the liner) weave along her world-weary yetpassionate words. When Paula sings the chorus to "I'll Fall In LoveWith Anyone" and the band pauses for a series of drawn out staccatonotes, the heart just breaks right in half from how gorgeous it sounds.The tune pushes the emotion to its climax and delves deep inside for apersonally affecting performance. "How Many Times" takes the big bandaspect to the background letting Paula showcase her own abilities. Thisis the true spotlight song, as the house lights can almost be seendimming as the pit fades to black and the singer becomes ringed by thebright, white bulb. Her raw vocal capabilities are wonderful on theirown, and coupled with an impeccable knack for phrasing and reallycasting feeling and power into those words, she has the potential to beamazingly uplifting or evocatively devastating. She sounds like amodern Dusty Springfield on the end of "The Rest of You," modulatingthose notes with remarkable song craft. It's a blend of original talentand musical appreciation. Of all the tracks, "My Finest Hour" appearsas the most straightforward rock song, though it is still supported bydueling trumpets and choral background vocals that give tremendousweight to the speed and impact of the song. Enough cannot be said ofhow well this album achieves its goals, with every piece of this largeundertaking finding their roles and relishing in them. The Trouble With Successis an absolutely stunning display of musicianship and ambitious conceptdone right, reaching as high as can be reached and pushing it evenhigher. Paula Kelley's the star of this show, and I'm starting to thinkthat underneath that hand, she's hiding a little smile.samples:
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