‘Sleeptalk’ is the fourth album from Perth-born Toby Beard. She recorded it in San Francisco, and it falls primarily within the blues/jazz genre. I must confess that I had never heard of TOBY before, which is a shame as this album is really good.
‘Sleeptalk’ opens with the slightly Dylanesque ‘Again’, an electric folk/rock track based around guitar/piano/organ, with Toby’s sensual smoky vocals, detailing the story of a relationship breakdown: - “I walk away crying again, and I’m totally confused again/ You sit there not talking, like you always do. Is this what I’m missing?”
The lyrics are direct and to the point. One thing I liked about this album was the raw emotion in the lyrics.
‘Birthday Blues’ is another great track, a jazz based melody with horns and piano, which swings along nicely despite the sadness in the lyrics. This is the sort of piece that suits Toby’s vocals perfectly: - “Today it’s my birthday and what can I say?/ It’s the worst birthday I have had yet.” With a few bittersweet phrases, Toby grabs the listener’s attention.
Other tracks that I really liked were ‘C’est Lamour’ which is an accordion-based chanson sung in perfect French, an excellent cover of ‘I'd Rather Go Blind’, which I have to say gives Etta James’ version a run for its money. ‘Smile', also, is an easy jazzy number that flows along really nicely: - “Smile, you were always smiling. I’d like to thank you for making me smile too.”
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The album ends on a glorious high with ‘Good Old Days’ a Balkan style folk romp that is enjoyable in the extreme and welds Eastern European melodies with some catchy laid back lyrics: -
“I wanna drink a beer while laying in the sun, I think it’s time I had a little fun.”
The only downside to the album is the track ‘Little Man’ which is a reggae based number that doesn’t really work with all the great tracks surrounding it. Skip it and the album is a great listen with lyrics you can empathise with and melodies you can always dance to. Certainly worth buying.
Toby online
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