Album Review
Inara George
Dearest Everybody
Release Me
As half of The Bird and the Bee, her collaboration with star producer Greg Kurstin (Adele, Foo Fighters et al.), poised singer-songwriter Inara George makes witty, sardonic pop. On her own, this charming LA native prefers gentler, less-ironic material that relies on acoustic textures and tackles big issues with affecting directness. Shaped by gorgeous melodies and understated arrangements, Dearest Everybody is an entrancing rainy-day album that shimmers from start to finish. The elegant “Young Adult” revisits callow times, recalling, “We didn’t care at all/Because caring meant that we weren’t invincible,” and asking, “Where is the line between all this joy and all this sorrow?” Elsewhere, “A Bridge” offers a stunning a capella expression of tenderness laced with lush Beach Boys-style harmonies, and “Stars” ponders mortality to the melancholy strains of a string quartet. With its bittersweet reflections on bygone youth and adult loss, this lovely, eloquent work will strike a chord with anyone perpetually striving to make sense of it all.
