Beth Hart has released her ninth studio album and once again it is an outstanding example of her ability to switch through a wide range of genres & styles with effective ease. ‘War In My Mind’ is a collection of twelve songs which reveal some of the personal issues that Hart has experienced over her twenty-five years as an artist, as it documents the highs & lows, as well as some of the battles that she has had to endure during her lifetime. If you have seen Beth Hart live then you will know she is always very open about her troubled past, with addiction & mental illness something she has fought with through many stages of her life and this is captured on this release, as she bares her soul through her incredible songwriting. Having seen the Grammy nominated singer songwriter earlier this year when she visited Australia, it was the ‘Beth + Piano Only’ songs that really encapsulated the audience and there is plenty of that to be found on here.
The album opens with ‘Bad Woman Blues’, one of the most upbeat of the tracks with its catchy chorus & rocky beat before we descend into the first of the more emotive of the songs, the piano accompanied title track ‘War In My Mind’ – I can only imagine this is the closest we will know about what living with mental health issues feels like with lines like, “It’s all black in my soul, No diamond in the coal” and “It’s ugly when I cry, I’m crying all the time, In my mind where it builds and it climbs” – powerful stuff. The smoky late night basement bar feel of ‘Without Words In The Way’ again soothes and sways your inner soul with its chilled out vibes. ‘Let It Grow’ is another piano-led masterpiece with incredible gospel backing singers which builds throughout, where we sense just how far Hart has come with her life, as she tells us “I am stronger than I think that I am, In every heart there’s a seed with a promise of hope” – a kind of ‘don’t give up, it will come good one day’ message.
‘Try a Little Harder’ picks the pace up once more before Hart delivers a painful & heartfelt song to her late sibling in ‘Sister Dear’ – Beth was only twenty years of age when she lost her sister due to complications related to AIDS. Once again we are brought back to sunshine, sea & sangria with the Mediterranean feel of ‘Spanish Lullabies’ with its beautiful acoustic guitar work. ‘Rub Me For Luck’ could very well have been written for the next James Bond movie with its powerful chorus. ‘Sugar Shack’ is another upbeat number that will get you tapping along with the catchy rhythm & beat.
If anyone has caught some of the video clips Beth has released in conjunction with this album release, where she talks about the individual tracks then you will be aware she isn’t ready to go into detail about ‘Woman Down’ just yet but that it is about some traumas that happened early in her life with lyrics like “All that I had is all that he stole, Now all that I am is trash now”. The penultimate track is ‘Thankful’, where we can only think Hart looks back at where she has been & where she is now and is so grateful for the fact she has come through things that many would not have survived, in this slow but joyous ode. The album finishes in stunning fashion with ‘I Need a Hero’, a song which feels as though Hart acknowledges the imperfections & problems that have plagued her life, but that she still needs those loved ones around her to keep her strong.
This album is a rollercoaster ride of emotion and for some who may have dealt with many of these issues themselves, there will be reminders of where they may very well have been in the past but also of how far they may have come on the road to recovery… and to those that are still in that dark place, there are messages of hope. This most certainly is nothing like Beth Hart’s previous studio release, ‘Fire on the Floor’ but once again it shows her ability to change styles and write songs in a very open & frank way and to maximum effect. Be warned – When listening through headphones, this album has the ability to bring on the tears but ‘War in My Mind’ is a wonderful addition to anyone’s collection.
The album was released on September 27 via Mascot Label Group / Provogue and was produced by Rob Cavallo.
TRACKLIST
Bad Woman Blues
War In My Mind
Without Words In The Way
Let It Grow
Try A Little Harder
Sister Dear
Spanish Lullabies
Rub Me For Luck
Sugar Shack
Woman Down
Thankful
I Need A Hero
