I want to do more than just survive.
I want to CONQUER.
I want to THRIVE.
Flashy little symbols we nimbly crash and ring.
tacky, glue-like hymnals we cannot help but sing through.
Every time I love you I love to love you a little less.
It's times like these I can't quite feel the feeling I've been blessed.
Say you solved it, say you're gonna make it right.
Say you know a secret salve
that can beat this sleepless night.
You know you can't resist
being lost, confused, or missed.
So, baby, don't you lose your wandering shoes,
your heartache, your torment, your bliss.
Locked up tight in your tower,
hair grows slowly, can't reach down.
Trapped in tales, taller than Tuesdays,
pulling through, but hanging upside frowns.
Walking sure is easy when
you don't know where you've been.
It's Hell when Heaven is what
you had in mind.
What is it about negative space that
fascinates us all?
What is it about the empty place that
marvels at its contents?
They've been saying:
"It's all gonna work out."
But they've been lying.
They've been smiling:
"Part the clouds, the sun'll burn away the doubt."
But I've been trying.
You find the cracks and you seep in.
Tall buildings look good for leaping.
I can't stop the thoughts from creeping.
My body betrays me.
Check out the lyric video for "Conquer and Thrive"
“(Bess creates) …moments within her songs when you feel that all the layers of pretense have been stripped and what you are hearing is not so much her voice but the deepest expressions of a passionate soul. It’s vulnerability, but a vulnerability tempered by inner strength. It’s emotional honesty expressed with intelligence and wit. It’s paradoxical, indescribable and “it.” It also makes for an amazing listening experience.”
The Alt Rock Chick
Bess McCrary’s, “for Happy,” has the rare distinction of making its way into my three-CD dinner and wine party rotation, joining Sara Bareilles and Norah Jones. A collection of 13 original songs, there is a theatricality to her jazz that makes it unique, varied and catchy. From Dixieland and the throwback 20’s nightclub feel of “Every Time I Love You” to the mournful “Cry So Good” (with a chorus and bridge that refuses to budge from my head) to the 50’s do-wop of “Life’s Work,” the funky calypso of “Solidarity,” these songs have a contemporary melodic edge with a jazz underpinning. I’d recommend welcoming Bess and “for Happy” into your “best of” rotation.