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Ghoste - Ghoste
by Kevin Wierzbicki
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Ghoste is a New York City singer/songwriter and this is her debut album. Well, her debut as Ghoste (the "e" is silent) anyway; she has previously released several albums and an EP under her real name, Jenny Bruce. The making of Ghoste was precipitated by her having turned 50, and the fact that her mother had always told her that "at 50 you become invisible; nobody sees you or listens to you anymore." Perhaps that is also why Bruce chose the stage name Ghoste for this release. Well sorry mom, but you were wrong; plenty of folks are not only going to be listening to this record, but also showering praise on its maker. With airy electro melodies and bright and hopeful vocals, Ghoste creates breezy pop songs like "Brick by Brick" with its earworm chorus and interludes that hint at a fondness for Kate Bush. And when your name is Ghoste, of course it makes sense that you have a song called "Haunted." Slow and ethereal, the cut is not about any supernatural entity; it is the specter of a former love relationship doing the haunting, and as the character Ghoste portrays in the song presents it, she just might be okay with that. Ghoste sings in French on "Chien et Loup," one translation of which means "twilight," and the pace and tenor of the song indicate it may be another cut about love's ending. A nice take on Coldplay's "Fix You" is also included.
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