Album review: Coming Out of the Pain by Amy Dalley

So, in my last review I was wondering why Craig Morgan wasn't more popular and I'm going to start off this review by asking why Amy Dalley isn't more popular. Though in her case, it might be because she's pretty much under the radar. It may be a case of people not really knowing who she is. I remember seeing her video for "Men Don't Change" back when it first came out and really liked both the song and video. After that was a video for "I Would Cry", but she was on Curb Records at the time and they never put out a full album. She finally left them in 2008, as the good ole internet tells me, and her last two albums - this one and the one before, It's Time - were released on independent labels. And really, in listening to this, I'm going to say that I think Curb made a mistake. Because her music is good and deserves to be released and heard and I encourage any and everyone reading this to go look her up and check her out.

Maybe this was inferred by the above paragraph, but I really like Coming Out of the Pain. It's a very solid album with a lot of great songs on it. If I'm not mistaken, Amy co-wrote just about every track, if not all, and has proven to be a strong songwriter. There's a depth and relatability to this that I appreciate and respect; it's something I feel like music could always use more of. Particularly from the female artists since I feel like there can be a lack of one or the other and I don't like that. I prefer lyrics that speak to me on some level and these do. So if lyrics matter to you, you should check out this album. Musically speaking, I like the playing on this and think it was really nicely produced all the way through. Vocally, Amy has a tone to her voice that I like, though her great strength as a singer is in her delivery. I obviously never skip over songs when I review since, but in listening to this, I just can't see myself skipping over any songs. Everything works and flows together beautifully. In wrapping up the short version of my review, I definitely would recommend getting this. Good album.

Those of you who only wanted a quick read can back out now and I thank you for reading. But if you want a longer read and want to look at what I thought of each song individually, keep on reading after the cut.

"Peace Sign" Okay so you know how sometimes you can listen to a song and just guess where the lyrics are going? Maybe you've even been able to guess the actual lyric. I don't mind that for the most part since sometimes it just happens, but I hate when a song is so predictable that you can practically guess every single line. I like when songs go in different directions than I expect; I like when a lyric can take me by surprise. Well, I was listening to this and  the chorus comes up and to say I wasn't expecting the third line would be an understatement. That took me complete surprise and I love it. The line? "You put the F-U in fun, but it's all good" I think the delivery is what really sells it, that and the last line of the chorus where she's just going to say goodbye "One finger shy of the peace sign". The thing about lyrics like that is that delivery has to be perfect or they just won't work. And I'd say Amy nailed it. One of my favorite tracks on this album.

"Breakin' It Down" My first thought when I listened to this was I could've I'd heard it before. This was on an album called Picture Perfect by an artist I'm sure very few, if any, people reading this will be familiar with, a girl by the name of Danni O'Neill. I haven't listened to that CD in a long time, but I remember this as one of my favorite tracks on it and come to find out, it was written by Amy Dalley and James LeBlanc. It's a song about a girl who is basically telling the guy in life that she's tired of his crap and isn't going to be putting up with it anymore. One of the better songs of this variety.

"Somebody Said It Rained" In a album of well crafted songs, this is one of the most beautiful. Easily one of the standout tracks on here for me. It's a song about a couple who has gone on vacation to some beach somewhere to try to reconnect and rebuild their relationship. But instead of going out and taking walks on the beach and all that, they find what they're looking for and stayed "wrapped up in a blanket for three days/ Turned into two young lovers as we hungered for each other/ We laughed, we cried, we slipped so far away/ Somebody said it rained". It's funny trying to pick parts to quote from here because really, I could put the whole song here, this song is full of great lyrics. "The world outside just disappeared, we broke it down to us/ We left there understanding what it means to really love". The lyrics themselves are beautiful enough, but the delivery just makes it shine. Definitely another favorite.

"Saturday Night Situation" Ideally, the opening music will set the tone for what's coming and this one does. And what's coming, you wonder? Trouble. That's the first word that comes to mind listening to the music. There's trouble brewing and in this case it's the kind of trouble that brews when a group of girls is let loose on a honky-tonk on a Saturday night. It becomes a Saturday night situation. This is a girls anthem if I've ever heard one. I like this song; it's fun and the band is just cooking here. Highlights between the guitars and bass.  This is one that'd be great to see live and I love that they came up with the term "country crunkin'. 

"Damage is Done" This is one of those songs that I feel like a lot of people are going to relate to. It's about those relationships that most of us have had where the other person just keeps letting us down and hurting us in one way or another. And maybe you deal with it for a while, keep giving in and keep taking the blows and one day you can't take it anymore and decide that it's over. But not before the damage is done. That's what I took out of it and it doesn't have to be a romantic relationship either, which is why I believe it'll be easy to relate to. You've had a relationship like this at some point. Listening to this I can detect a kind of tiredness and rawness to her voice, it's another great delivery on what is another of my favorites from this album.

"I May Love You Now" It's a song about loving someone that you know isn't good for you, who you know you should leave but don't want to. What's interesting to me is that this is a song directed to the person in question and it's basically her saying all of that and then telling him that she's not scared to leave him, like he thinks. She just doesn't want to because she keeps hoping it'll get better. I find it interesting because there's a strength here that is rarely, if ever, found in other songs dealing with a similar subject. This one makes me think and I like that.

"Civil War" Once again, the opening music sets this song up perfectly. The piano is just so haunting and I really like the guitar kicking in the way it does and then faded out some and the vocal coming in and slowly the rest of the band joins in. There's an almost delicious build up that grows until the chorus where everything amps up and then fades back out. I just adore the playing here. This is one that's cool to go back and try to focus on one instrument in particular and keep doing it, picking a different one each time. That's the music. Vocally, I love how Amy sings this one. If you don't feel for the couple in this, I just don't know what to say. They've been fighting each other for so long, so long that no one knows what the fight is about, but they keep fighting. It's a never ending civil war. "No waving white flags, no calling truces/ Pick up your weapon, go on and use it/ Destroy the memories, burn the bridges/ Show no mercy, that's how we're living". This one gets me. You think it's another favorite of mine? You're right.

"Round and Round" Kicking up the tempo in this one which is kind of like a breath of fresh air after the heaviness of the last one. Perfect album placement here. There's a welcome sweetness in the lyrics I think, it's basically saying that love can be difficult, but we're just going to keep at it. Keep going round and round and dealing with whatever comes up. Solid song.

"Bottle It Up" I have to say that I love the bounciness of this song. It's fun to listen to and one where you might find yourself moving along with. The last song had some sweetness to it that's amplified here. I really don't have much to say about this one other than I really enjoy it. It's a fun song, lyrically speaking, I like the way the words flow.

"Coming Out of the Pain" There are times when I can listen to a song and like it, but never really pay attention to the lyrics. And a lot of times when that happens you can be surprised at the depth found in them. That's the case with this song. My first thought about this was that it's the kind of song you'd want to crank up in the car with the windows down. It's an up-tempo feel good kind of song. And then you start to really listen to the words and that's when you realize just how good it is. Some lyrical examples, "Every sound from your mouth fills the spaces where the hurt poured out" or "I was as fragile as paper thin glass/ On the verge of giving up". Those lines don't follow each other in the song, but wow. This is one that's really worth making the effort to listen carefully. Wonderfully written and another favorite.

"I'm Already Gone" The songwriting is really where this album shines, as good as the production and everything else is. A lot of these songs offer different and often unique takes on ideas that could be seen as well used. It's the kind of writing we need a lot more of. I'd consider this one of those, a song about someone who may be physically present in a relationship, but is gone in every other way. And the other person doesn't see it. It's up-tempo, but sad to me. Just the thought of this person taking so much out of the other person that they just tune out emotionally speaking. Very interesting song.

"Some Goodbye" Another track where the band shines for me, really like the playing here. This is a heck of a song to close out the album with and how fitting that the title is "Some Goodbye". I'd call the vocal delivery pretty much flawless. She sounds genuinely shell shocked in this, it feels very raw to me. It's about someone trying to understand why her ex ended it the way they did. Lots of lyrical goodness in here, it's very poetic to me. "Did you rehearse it/ Was it spur of the moment?/ When did you decide that I wasn't worth your time/ What a way to break me/ Walk away without warning". 

Yeah, this is a great album that seems to get better the more I listen to it. Money well spent.