Caroline Smith has accomplished something grand with 2013’s Half About Being A Woman: a breakup album for real adults. Amid the clatter on the radio of Taylor Swift and Pink and other female vocalists who claim they knew he was trouble or that they want one last kiss, Smith digs into the soul of a breakup’s fallout, telling the story from the inside out, and doing it all through quality organic music that you will never hear in the Top 40.
She confronts the ideal concept of a woman in society, playfully admits as a modern woman she still wants to be treated out to dinner, and stands up for her choices in leaving him. This is a bold album, full of opinions and blunt realizations about what happens when a relationship comes to an end. It is also a soft album: warm, flowing, and somewhat depressing. This album is gold.
Lyrics play a prominent role in her storytelling, which is what I will focus on, but do not mistake that emphasis for an overlook of the fantastic musical elements throughout this album. Indie R&B is the perfect niche for Smith and her fabulous voice, but often the minimalist instrumentals take a backstage to her words.
From the opening verse of the first track “Bloodstyle”, she hooks you in. Fuzzy synth and light beats back up her smooth vocals, which quickly illuminate the main issue of the album: “he got a hold on me.” Yet she dives right in with sass with track two, the single “Magazine”, which has been on repeat on The Current for the last month here in Minneapolis. If you check out the music video (below), I think you’ll understand why.
But it’s the title track that has gained the most attention, and for good reason. It deals with those moments after deciding things are over, and holding to a decision. The story of this song is delivered beautifully and at the end, the truth lies in that “half about being a woman is half about being wrong, the other half led me to be singing this song.”
The second half of the album, following the title track, deals with being satisfied with this decision. “Walking Off Strong” addresses the frustration in leaving someone behind, and the emptiness that often follows. “If I’m lonely I know I’m doing the right thing,” Smith painfully admits. She toys with the idea of the breakup in “Kind of Man”, looking back and asking “what would happen to you if I shut the door? I want to know what would happen to you…” but we know she has already made up her mind, singing next: “I’m leaving you and I won’t look back.” She’s playful, too, though – making light of the fact whoever she was dating was “one of those artist types” and rather broke (or cheap) in “The One Thing” and “Buy Me Something,” respectively.
Yet “Child of Moving On” is the true anthem of the album. Smith croons “you had it all but now it’s gone,” and adds the perfect soulful finish to an LP simple in concept, but complex in emotion. She encapsulates not just one, but many endings in this song, eluding to a past of moving on from various disappointments. It’s a song that anyone who has broken free from the toll of heartbreak or other frustrating relationships can feel in their bones. And although always painful, we can also agree that in moving on “it’s clear that there’s some good here.”
Even a woman as talented and fantastic as Smith has gone through all that she sings about. So thanks to her, we know we are not alone, and we have a great soundtrack to blast in our cars and living rooms when the going gets rough. Caroline Smith doesn’t reminisce about the bad boys and wanting that last kiss, she confronts the difficulties of her choice to leave and is proud of the fact she stood up for herself – and does it all with soul, wit, and charm.
Quotes from Caroline about Half About Being a Woman:
“I wanted to find my way back to the reason why I started playing music in the first place,” says Smith. “Over the last year I began to embrace that being a strong, confident, opinionated woman is something to be proud of, not subdued. I have to embrace where my roots are and stay true to who I am: an unabashed fan of 90s R&B, pop, and neo-soul.”
“I’ve finally created something that is a nod to some of my favorite records while using my own voice to illustrate my personal transition into woman hood; That time in a woman’s life when her ‘fat butt’ becomes her ‘phat ass’. I wanted to make music to celebrate that and to encourage other women to do the same.”
http://carolinesmithcarolinesmith.com/
Caroline Smith’s Facebook Page
(For more great music recommendation from Kelsey please check out The Aural Premonition)