The Gobblers Knob

First things first.  The new album from Sarah Borges and The Broken Singles, The Stars Are Out (Sugar Hill) is a Rock & Roll record. The quicker we all accept that and move on, the better.  The reason I implore any possibly heartbroken twangophile to quickly end their season of mourning and embrace the present is due simply to the fact that while SBBS may have temporarily amped up their rocking, they have done so without sacrificing the spark and spunk that has been a true trademark of the group’s previous releases. What we are treated to is not a modern pop-rock album of the standard variety, but a veritable tour through the previous ages of Rock & Roll, leading up to the current day and time.

Lead single, “Do it For Free”  and “Yesterday’s Love” recall some of the edgier, attitudinal rock and pop of 80′s diva’s such as Joan Jett and yes, even The Go Go’s.  Borges channels her inner-Chuck Berry with “It Comes to Me Naturally”, and “I’ll Show You How” is taken right out of a raucous roadhouse with it’s dirty, bluesy harmonica, supplied by Dennis Brennan.  As one can likely gather from the various titles, another aspect that is still intact from SBBS releases of the past is that most of the lyrics deal with love and the many forms that it can take in ones life, most notably, in one of the album’s more mellow tracks, “No One Will Ever Love You”. Adding to the stops along the retro-highway are, “Being with You” and it’s doo-wop style melody and “Me and Your Ghost” which is a healthy slice of 50′s and 60′s pop.

The cut from Stars that may give the aforementioned twangophiles-in-mourning the biggest reason to raise themselves from the ashes is “Ride With Me”.  While it has a casual and sparse feel overall, the track recalls some of SBBS previous work when the laid-back, bluesy guitar sounds off during the chorus.  Borges’ belts out her notes with the same fervency that has served her so well in the past. Don’t mistake the varied influences and palpable feel of the various songs as anything but a band looking to turn it up to 11 and bring us with them for the fun. The Stars Are Out is a great example of how fresh and relevant even the sounds of the past can truly be when applied with the deft touch of someone who isn’t satisfied with living in the past.