Album Review: Back Where We Started

Marina Bloom’s newest album, Back Where We Started is a rock solid modern contemporary record.

Starting with the title track, the upbeat pop rock creates an upbeat feel with a catch melody, driving electric guitars and a very catchy chorus.

On the very next track though, the tone changes and this isn’t a bad thing. Greetings From Sydney is a much slower ballad that details a lonesome trip away and wishing you were with that some special. It is evident on tracks like this and many others that Marina is a story teller. It works well, reminding me of a mix between Taylor Swift’s earlier work, some Celine Dion and Shania Twain. This is all down to how ballad heavy the rest of the album is.

Subtle touches like the slide guitar on Lions Fighting In A Church, to the more exotic sounds of Fragile, just to name a few, the music is spot on in capturing every songs story and feel. Marina’s vocals are perfectly performed. The switch between firm delivery to a more airy one on Fragile is an example here. It’s nice to hear so much care out into each piece.

There are so many gems here in this album. Seven Seas, with its wonderful duet harmonies paired with the perfect instrumentation to make it feel like it matches the sailors or large medieval ships. It has an almost Celtic vibe to it.

By track 6, we return to a more upbeat track with Flying. The production on this album is just awesome. Marina should be proud of what she has achieved here. Multiple listens open up a whole lot of things you may have missed on the first listen.

Not Another Ballad turns into what sounds like an Irish jig and yeah, you can definitely imagine people getting wild on this one.

Overall, this is an incredible body of work that also incorporates Marina’s native tongue on a couple of tracks. Special mention to the final track Tri Sestry – Three Sisters as it bought an emotive electronic sound to the album. I really felt that one. I just love how diverse she is both vocally and musically.

Bravo Marina. I respect your passion and dedication to song writing. Your care and thought is truly reflected here.