Top Five Albums of 2009 – #4

*This is part of a series of posts, please refer to the parent post for context*

#4 – Kate Voegele: A Fine Mess (Deluxe Edition)

Like many, I discovered Voegele through my obsession with One Tree Hill. Her first album, Don’t Look Away, released in 2008 was one of my favorites – perhaps because its messages about messy relationships, struggling to find oneself, and inevitable heartache spoke to where I was at that point in time. She captured the same with this album, a smooth transition from the angst of the first album into a more detailed look at relationships gone wrong and the identity crisis that ensues in their demise. The upbeat pop tracks are fun, but Voegele is at her best when the bluesy tone of her voice shines through in the tracks that will clearly never make it to radio play. It's introspective about the past, mournful of what we've lost, while at the same time hopeful for the future and what it might hold.

Favorite Lyrics:

1. “If fear was money you’d be a millionaire, all alone in a leather swivel chair counting stacks of gold.”
2. “This is so you, this is what you do – You'd rather make do than make a move.”
3. “Those who get to know our hearts the most, they always seem to be the ones we'll never hold.”

Favorite Tracks: 

1. Manhattan from the Sky
2. We the Dreamers
3. Sweet Silver Lining