Erin Costelo - We Can Get Over (2012)

As an experiment, it might be interesting to do as follows: go and tell someone you know that you’ve discovered a fantastic 60s artist that you’d never heard of until now, then play him or her one of the songs from Erin Costelo’s We Can Get Over. Chances are you’ll have them fooled.

And this isn’t a knock against Erin Costelo at all. In fact, Costelo’s devotion to her sound makes We Can Get Over one of the most unexpectedly brilliant albums of the year.

There are many reasons to love this album, from the shorter song lengths to the subtle arrangements to Costelo’s incredibly unique and expressive voice. It’s not much of a surprise that everything fits together so well- Costelo has already racked up quite a bit of experience as a musician and as an arranger.

To steep yourself in Costelo’s sound, perhaps start yourself off by listening to her cover of Barbara & Brenda’s “Too Young to be Fooled.” It’s a slow and tender song, featuring absolutely stunning vocal harmonies. Then maybe move onto “Oh Me Oh My,” which features subtle guitars, carefully controlled backup singers and just a whole lot of soul.

It’s followed by “Count to 10,” a much more upbeat number than most others with encouraging lyrics: “And we can dance, dance, dance.” “Let It Go” and “Down Down” both derive their strength from their fantastic builds in intensity.

The slower, more heartfelt side of Erin Costelo can be heard much more on the album, however. “I Don’t Know Anything” has a quiet enough atmosphere to be a lullaby. “Give a Little” asks the subject of the song to do just that. “Hold Me” is an extremely emotional song supported by a soft piano melody.

The album comes to a close with the title track, and it’s one of the few album ending songs that really feels like an end. It incorporates some wonderful string sections and a huge backing group of voices, making it sound like the grand finale of a musical.