A new release from Judy Banker showcases the artist's character and ability to deliver honest and passionate performances that feel more than relatable and have a way of letting you get attached to them very quickly all with an amazing balance of energy strewn throughout this full-length album.
The Bona Fide album has this amazing cross of classic vintage songwriting approaches along with a refreshing approach as well with arrangements that let the songs feel alive and breathing and have a strange way of welcoming you with open arms.
This record has a lot of authenticity to it and the songs definitely come from someplace real to the point where it almost feels like this record is a concept album and each song is like a chapter in the artist's life.
I love a record where you can actually feel the hurt and love throughout its course and this record delivers all of that with that persona that makes you feel like you know her better after listening to it.
There are more than a handful of singles that stand on their own two feet incredibly well, but I do absolutely feel like this is meant to be listened to as a whole from start to finish so that you can soak it in the way it was properly meant to be.
There's a lot of heart and soul on this release and it's because she has a way of wearing her heart on her sleeves and letting it all out as if this record were actually cathartic for her.
It probably was cathartic for her but for the listener, you can really understand and relate to a lot of these songs and that aspect of the record becomes very infectious.
A lot of this record comes out with a great tonality and a certain element of escapism so that you can step out of your own reality and step into hers for a moment in time which is something of actually missed in releases of all genres for quite some time so to hear it now is very refreshing.
These songs do have stories to tell and if you listen to the record by the end of it you have a certain kind of closure in a way, and this is something that got to me.
Everything about this release was very well thought out right down to the last detail but throughout it all, it never loses the heart or soul that it starts with or was born with in the first place.
You can also hear a lot of these songs in film or TV shows, so it does have a little bit of a cinematic backbone as well and the guitar work and vocals lend to each other so incredibly well that the whole thing is very complimented.
I really enjoy a record that has layers that can be peeled back, and this release has lots of that to the point where I would suggest even listening to it more than once.
A beautiful record that balances contemporary, Americana, country, and soul all get wrapped up into one bountiful and honest record, Bona Fide should serve as a testament to where Judy is with her life and her music right now.
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