Close to 5,000,000 pilgrims visit Lourdes, France every year with individuals and groups coming from all over the world. All because a 14-year old by the name of Marie Bernarde Soubirous claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary with her sister in Lourdes while collecting firewood, thus proclaiming her a saint (Saint Bernadette). It's been nearly one hundred and thirty years since her death, yet visited by millions. Five years ago, Meredith DiMenna and Keith Saunders were recording as The Saucers. After releasing Eternal Intermission in 2003, Meredith and Keith formed Saint Bernadette three years later. Enlisted were solo artist and multi-instrumentalist, Jar-e (bass, Rhodes and trombone), Joe Novelli (lap steel and trumpet) and Craig Sala (drums). By continuing Saint Bernadette from where they left off as The Saucers, Meredith and Keith have escalated and evolved their sound to reflect where they want to be.
So where exactly does a French peasant girl and a Connecticut band collide? Is it in the way they both attributed church endorsed insanity? Yes, but what else? After taking some time to recollect the various emotions felt throughout In the Ballroom and the various emotions felt by millions of devout pilgrims, one thing remains clear: they both flirt with you. Marie Bernarde Subirous has been flirting with attention even after her death, resulting in her being loved my millions. Now I can't say the same for Saint Bernadette, the band, but their sultry nature will attract listeners, making you feel weak in the knees.
Released October 2, 2007, In the Ballroom became one of those albums I wish I could have come across earlier - when the stakes were still high and the songs still fresh. However, time itself has done nothing to age this album, probably because it's already done its fair share. In the Ballroom is sophisticated, enticing and ballsy to say the least. In the span of one forty-minute record, lead vocalist Meredith DiMenna channels the solidarity of Beth Gibbons (Portishead) and the fiery pipes of Johnette Napolitano. Where DiMeena's croons growl, her softest notes purr in "I Own the City" and "She's a Natural". Ballsier numbers like "Bound to Do" and "Lay Me Down" rely on saucy attitude and brute force to get what they want. Though most songs on In the Ballroom prove effortless, the masochistic "Universe" lacks the same power and ease. Guitars swagger and vocals wail in the 70's rock charged, "No Dreams" while "Money in the Air" displays the kind of jazzy vocals and hip instrumentation that listeners will marvel over. The group named themselves after a French peasant girl, but this album is all woman.
Picture a nightclub in the outskirts of town - the air is hazy with smoke, the atmosphere is intimate. Some people are sitting at tables drinking cocktails; some are sitting at the bar. Overlooking them is a dimly lit stage. It gapes open, ready to consume everything and everybody around it. When the band plays, all eyes are on the stage. It's quiet except for a few faint whispers, but even those begin to weaken. When the band plays, all eyes are on them. Saint Bernadette is just that kind of band.
