HELEN TOWNSEND
BABY COME HOME
‘Baby Come Home’, the latest single from Walyalup/Fremantle’s finest Americana artist, Helen Townsend, is the sound of happy.
That growl in her vocals as she sings her lover home. The way Townsend belts it out like she’s never done before. That’s the sound of pure joy from a singer who’s been to the bottom and ain’t goin’ back there any time soon.
And, if ‘Baby Come Home’ features a supremely confident vocal performance, just wait ‘till you hear what Townsend’s done with the rest of the song. Just like Amy Winehouse did with jazz standards on Back To Black, Townsend has taken the ghost of Americana past and updated it for the 21st Century. All the elements are here, the stuttering snare, the up-picked cluck of the guitar, and the funky horns and honky-tonk piano as far as the ear can hear. ‘Baby Come Home’ isn’t a toe tapper, it’s a full on, irrefusable invitation to dance. Vertically, horizontally — who cares? — but one thing’s for sure, it’s a call you won’t be able to resist.
‘Baby Come Home’ sits at the end of a cycle of songs in which Townsend has charted the course of love, loss and falling in love all over again. Staying mostly in her musical lane, Townsend has flexed her song writing muscles, charting a mesmerising trip through the variety of a genre that is often looked at askance by those who know no better. Sometimes, it’s been a white-knuckle thrill ride, others it’s been a slow and aching lament, but it’s always been an aural pleasure of the highest calibre. ‘Baby Come Home’ is something of a cherry on top of Townsend’s multi-layered cake, inviting us all over to her place for a celebration.
For more than enough years now, Helen Townsend has shown us that she has what it takes musically. With ‘Baby Come Home’ we now know that she has the endurance as well, as she peaks into the sort of form that makes each successive song that much better than the last. All that awaits her now is that moment where those years of hard work turn her into an overnight sensation. ‘Baby Come Home’ could be just that instant of magic in an already storied career.
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