Sometimes Julie, the acclaimed rock band from San Diego, California, is back with their fifth full-length album, Seven Wishes. A concept album of sorts, unified emotionally by longings – wishes – for healing, peace, and other preferred states of being, Seven Wishes is another strong collection of blues-based rock. Rolling your eyes in disbelief? Then uncross those arms, unwrinkle that frown, strap into my sidecar, and ride merrily along for the highlights.
Wait. Who does what?
It’s the familiar bunch from previous albums, including Monica Sorenson (aka, “Julie” – but don’t tell anyone!) on lead vocals, and for the first time, piano; Rick Walker on rhythm guitar; Anthony Sarain on sax/flute/keyboard; Bruce Paul Allen on bass; Dave Fuller on drums; and regular collaborator Andy Machin on lead guitar.
The album also features a few special guests, like Laura Chavez on lead guitar; Roger Friend on percussion; Larry Grano on drums; and Clair Allison & Yvonne Fuller contributing backing vocals. And with all those capable players, it may be apropos to call the band “The Sometimes Julie Orchestra.”
Facing the music (i.e., hitting those highlights).
The album kicks off with “Wish on the Wildside,” and we’re granted three driving introductory chords laying the song’s foundation. And then Monica’s voice kicks in – it’s a strong, clean voice dripping with just the right attitude, sporting, when necessary, a forceful vibrato, and soaring when the song demands it. With an especially emotive bridge, “Wish on the Wildside” is a strong opener galvanizing one to continue listening.
Track #3, “If I Said,” opens with a clean beat, a light synth pad, and lands as an assertive, acoustic-based endeavor. This is a great, more subdued but affecting piece with some excellent harmonies during the chorus, and a flawless transition between diaphragm and falsetto during the lyric “what would you say.”
Track #4, “Missed the Boat,” reminds me of Pat Benatar in the chorus – I suppose it’s the progression, the harmonized punch, and the particular use of Monica’s voice; it’s the perfect blend of determination dripping with vulnerability. And that last lyric? Delivered with a vocal urgency dialed up to 11.
“Nowhere to Go” is a song for journeys (regardless of the title’s implied stagnation). It’s rock, blues, country, and something sung over fields of green and mountains without end. With a clean electric guitar, an acoustic guitar skipping along fault lines, and a winding voice brushing against trees and through river-bridled canyons, “Nowhere to Go” is more subdued, but melodically picturesque.
Album closer, “Fool’s Wish,” tells a story about wanting something better; something as pure as what’s imagined. With snare rim hits, and some other hollow wood percussion implying a tumbling journey over rocky roads, the chorus contrasts beautifully with angelic harmonies supplying the darting yearning between bumps, tumbles, and bruises. And suddenly (but gracefully), the song stops with one final request while the mind still holds a diminishing hope.
But is it good?
Folks, it’s rock solid. A blend of tasteful rock and roll, assertive melodies, and gorgeous harmonies excavated from country music, effortlessly assimilated for each song’s intentions, “Seven Wishes” is a fantastic album that won’t satisfy with one listen; you’ll want to experience the music – the struggle, the weight, and the wind-blown freedom – several hundred times. Recommended.
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BELOW: Listen to Sometimes Julie and check them out on YouTube, Spotify, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (which currently answers to “X”). Please support Sometimes Julie by visiting their website, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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