Album Review: Red Grey Blue

Mel Parsons may seem young but her latest album Red Grey Blue shows a weariness and a maturity belying her age. Many of the songs on the album have a dark streak running through them that speaks of harsh life experiences, although they’re balanced out by tracks like Things Will Get Good and We Will Find Love Again, both full of optimism for the future.

That darkness makes sense if you think of the album as a country album, albeit one leaning very much towards pop, but country nonetheless. Mel’s voice is made for the genre and has a very mature quality to it, almost conjuring up images of smoky Tennessee bars in the middle of nowhere. Don’t let all this talk of country music put you off listening to her though, as it’s a very accessible album and bound to find mainstream success here in New Zealand.

The album was produced by Jeremy Toy of OpenSouls and She’s So Rad, and they’ve managed to pull in a number of well known musicians to help out with the recording. Anika Moa and Greg Johnson pop up singing harmonies, and Don McGlashan features on the baritone horn and euphonium, to name but a few of them.

My only complaint with the album is perhaps a reflection on Mel’s age and experience as a songwriter; some of the tracks tend to become repetitive and end somewhat awkwardly. It’s not a big deal, and the fact that that was the only fault I could find is, I think, an indication of the strength of the album.