BWW Album Review: There is Nothing Pathetic about Analise Scarpaci's PATHETIC LITTLE DREAMER
While listening to Analise Scarpaci's new album PATHETIC LITTLE DREAMER, it is difficult to not compare her work as a singer-songwriter to the great woman singer-songwriters that have come before. There will come a day when Analise's name will be on the list of great woman singer-songwriters... but the gender qualifier is unnecessary because Analise Scarpaci will be considered a great singer-songwriter, period. Female, male, non-binary, fluid, it doesn't matter: Analise Scarpaci will come to be known as a great singer-songwriter, based, solely, on the merit of her artwork. The evidence is all in the seven-song, twenty-six-minute album, one so enjoyable that it is destined to become one of the "Most Played" on your device.
Pathetic Little Dreamer was Analise Scarpaci's pandemic project and the music world is better for it, especially since the industrious Broadway Records label picked it up for distribution, with artist Robbie Rozelle turning Matt Murphy's gorgeous photos and Scarpaci's liner notes into a generous CD booklet, one that will come in handy, in the name of artistic exploration and enjoyment. Each of the seven songs stand on their own as creations of musical storytelling but there are times when it is possible to get swept up by Scarpaci's pristine vocals and earworm melodies, and the poetry of the lyrics may get momentarily lost. It is a treat to read Analise's thoughts on each composition, then follow along with the booklet, examining sentences and thoughts that may gain prominence when seen, rather than heard, especially on numbers with particularly thoughtful lyrics like "Charlie." There will, in fact, be times when the listener would be advised to just hit 'play' and go to town, and others when a cup of tea and that CD booklet are a great way to spend a half-hour in musical meditation - it just depends on the mood one is in. Introspection will be served by Scarpaci's words, and jubilation, by the music.
