Album Review: Maria Usbeck Esta Envejeciendo, Like Me!
If you are anything like me, finding a gray hair on your head is like finding a knife in your skull; it feels like someone cut up Time and left a gory scene. Suddenly, you are old, and the last time you were a “kid” is teetering on, potentially, TWO decades ago or MORE! Most of us wish were cool about aging like Meryl Streep; letting our talent and spruced spirit glow over any wrinkle or crow’s feet that shows. Yet, most of us, would be Jane Fonda and go straight for a nip-tuck. For Maria Usbeck, Envejeciendo, is more of a spiritual call than a physical one.
We think of “old” as a physical journey, but Maria Usbeck’s new record shows it is a soulful one; an opportunity to let time grow your heart or shrivel it with jadedness. I have met old folks that were crabby and ones the felt like a sea of peace. Both have left me wondering how you get there, and tracks like, “Amor Anciano,” “Obscuro Obituario,” and “Secret In Japan” have Maria wondering, too: when does your spirit settle on the moral spectrum? When do you become okay with always feeling down or choose to avidly stay up? With lyrics flowing between Spanish and English, Maria’s observances move like bountiful, vibrant fabrics in the wind.
From “Un Cabello Gris” to “Retirement Home,” Maria’s voice, in particular, streams like a purple ribbon zipping through a windy park. Her synth-wave melodies feel, strangely, earthy; building a virtual Central Park. Yet, I call her voice a purple ribbon because it is smooth and regal. She is so delicately powerful that she turns wonder into power. This is an amazing affect because “questioning” and “not knowing” are frowned upon in this world. Yet, sometimes, you really don’t know, and, perhaps, that is best emotional response. Maria’s voice helps listeners find safety in the unknown and beauty in longing for what you did know.
Maria Usbeck – Obscuro Obituario
Nostalgia and futurism do an interpretive dance in this record. It is philosophically trippy but in a casual way like, looking at the stars in the back of your parents’ pick-up truck. She sonically stares at the light of the world, which makes Envejeciendo an album to, easily, play. To Buy Maria Usbeck’s Envejeciendo On August 16. Click Here.
