Published on May 3, 2002
Listening to
Firecracker, the sophomore release from alt-rocker Lisa Loeb
(and first not credited to her backing band Nine Stories), one has
to imagine someone at Loeb’s then-record label saying to
themselves, “Y’know, the potential is there – we heard it on
Tails – but maybe if we give a bigger budget and add some
orchestration, we can push her to the top of the charts.”
Well, it didn’t quite work that way, though
Firecracker did spawn Loeb’s third hit (albeit a minor one)
with “I Do” – and for the second time in a row, Geffen botched the
promotion of this disc by ignoring a sure-fire hit. But
Firecracker does prove two things: that Loeb is best when
taken in small doses, and the added instrumentation does sometimes
benefit the music.
Let’s first start out with the label-bashing. “I Do” is an
excellent song, and it could have been a bigger hit for Loeb had a
better campaign been put together to push this track. However, it
seemed like Geffen was then willing to let this disc die. Granted,
the label was about to undergo a reorganization – a kind word for
“bloodletting” – but it’s too bad someone didn’t think to try and
push the song “Let’s Forget About It” to AOR radio. Talk about a
lost opportunity – this would have been the second part of the
“one-two punch” that could have really helped Loeb out.
I’ve listened to my wife’s cassette of
Firecracker a few times now before writing this, and two
things jump out at me about this album. First, moving away from the
minimalist style that made “Stay” a hit was risky, but it sounds
more natural for Loeb, as if she’s been waiting for the chance to
show off her talents. (No disrespect meant towards the members of
Nine Stories.) The second thing is a little weirder – no matter how
many times I listen to this album, it comes off as being bland
overall, and in turn somewhat forgettable.
How so? After all, didn’t I just say that the richer
instrumentation is a plus? Indeed, it is – but sometimes it just
seems like things aren’t clicking like they should for Loeb.
Example: if you read the lyrics to “Jake,” you could assume that
someone pissed Loeb off something fierce. If only the music
captured that same kind of fire. Other songs like “Truthfully,”
“Wishing Heart” and “Furious Rose” start off strong, but are unable
to maintain the momentum.
Yet I question where the blame lies. I’m not totally convinced
that it’s Loeb’s songwriting. If anything, Loeb might still feel
trapped by the success of “Stay,” and sometimes feels like she has
to stay in that vein in some manner. When she cuts loose as she
does on “Let’s Forget About It,” it sometimes feels like Loeb is
starting to shed the albatross of sudden fame. These are the
moments I found myself living for on
Firecracker; too bad there weren’t enough to really push
this album into the next level.