Premiere: Lisa Bell climbs out of the ‘Back Seat’
The Americana singer-songwriter reclaims her creativity and pursuit of music on a new song.
Parenthood requires absolute sacrifice, and personal ambitions must be put on the back burner or discarded altogether. There are also the questions of obligations and moral code, choosing to do what is true and right over one’s own deeply-rooted desires. Perhaps unexpectedly, dreams are simply tucked away for safe keeping like trinkets in a treasure chest. Americana by definition, jazz-inflected by class, Colorado’s roots singer-songwriter Lisa Bell repossesses her own imaginations and drive for a music career with her brand new single. Aptly titled “Back Seat,” the smoldering mid-tempo allows Bell to carve out a magical haven, one indebted to her past but freeing her up to finally soar amongst cotton candy clouds.
“Put off believing in me / While I watched my babies thrive / Such a beautiful site to see,” she affirms that she’d never trade what motherhood so preciously gave her. Her vocal is unfussy, as she sweetly guides the golden instruments through a sojourn of hope and well-earned redemption. “I find all the inspiration / That I haven’t seen for miles / Was giving me direction / From the backseat all the while,” she sings, noting music’s silent, steady hand all the while. And all the rich life experience, spliced with her innate ability to navigate a syrupy soul melody, fuels her commitment to share her story.
“Back Seat” anchors her forthcoming new album of the same name, and while it’s been six years since her last full-length, her craft has only burned stronger and brighter and braver. 12 songs were born out of a secluded trip to a backwoods cabin; with producer Evan Reeves, Bell peels back layers of her voice like an onion newly uncovered from the earth. She’s flavorful but unpolished enough to crack and let the character dazzle the edges. “While there’s no set destination / I know I’ve got so many miles / So I let my imagination / Ride shotgun for awhile,” she sings. She’s tempered expectations but lets the music speak louder than she possibly could have imagined.
“The song is about taking a new direction in my career, especially now that kids are grown and on their own career paths. The song says ‘I’m not willing to take a back seat, while my dreams pass me by.’ The back seat is a metaphor for letting someone else shine for a while, in this case my kids,” she writes to B-Sides & Badlands over email. “The song reflects the desire to shift gears and take control of the driver’s wheel once again to continue along my music journey. This song was written right after a significant birthday, and a bit of a hiatus, when I had to really contemplate what was next for my career, or even if it would continue. It’s really almost an anthem for those empty nesters in my same shoes, encouraging them to continue to explore and expand upon aspirations that may have been put aside for awhile.”
Back Seat is set to drop everywhere September 6.
Listen below:
Photo Credit: Marla Rutherford Photography
