"The Life You Always Wanted" by The Bittersweets

a Review by Amy Lotsberg Producer of Collected Sounds

The Bittersweets are the latest release from Collected Sounds friend and favorite record company, Virt Records. Virt has previously released records by Vienna Teng, Brenda Weiler, Shane Nicholson, Ellery and more.

I hesitate to call this band Americana because I know that's a turn-off for some, but please hear me out. Honestly, I don't generally like country-tinged things, but some Americana music is fabulous. This is one.

Lead singer Hannah Prater has a nice voice; it's kind of sweet and matches the music nicely.

The songs are a tad twangy, though not obnoxiously so (for those of us who don't crave country. Those who do obviously wouldn't call anything 'obnoxiously twangy'). There are times when the melodies/instrumentation are reminiscent of some of Natalie Merchant's work (post 10, 000 Maniacs).

The melodies are uplifting and make you want to learn the words so you can sing along in the car… oh come on I know I'm the only one who has 6,000 mix CDs in her car called "Sing Along #_" am I?

This is a fine record and anyone who likes Alt.Country, pop or folk music should check it out.

Stand out songs: "Bag of Bones", "Houston" and "Rapture"

Posted on June 30, 2006