An emotional, peaceful collection of songs

Singer-songwriter Bedouine recently released her third album, Waysides, after releasing the popular single “The Wave” in August. In this soothing ten-track album, she uses acoustic guitars and storytelling lyrics to express her emotions revolving around love and loss to her listeners.

“The Solitude” kicks off the tranquil tone of the album. With gentle acoustic guitar accompaniment and soft vocals, Bedouine sings mournfully of a person who is no longer in her life. Her lyrics discuss the details that have made her feel a sense of solitude after this loss. Harmonic background vocals add to the relaxed yet mournful feeling of this song.

The following track, “It Wasn’t Me,” is also relaxed, with gentle vocals and acoustic guitar. The singer incorporates more harmonies to add deeper emotion to her voice. This song is calm and full of storytelling lyrics, exploring the theme of missing someone and the past in general.

The fourth track, “Easy,” features acoustic guitar plucking and storytelling, similar to the previous tracks. Bedouine sings about the words that a past lover has said to her, “I can’t let my baby die,” before making these words her own in the second verse. These seem to be the words shared between them during a breakup. This is another emotional track with intricate storytelling that allows her to share her emotions with the listener.

The sixth track of the album, “The Wave,” has a similar sound to the previous tracks but explores a different story about grief and the loss of a friend. This track is mournful and sad, allowing her to be fully transparent with her listeners. With sounds of waves in the background, gentle acoustic guitar, piano and echos, the track is very peaceful; the listener is taken on her journey of love and loss.

The last track, “Songbird,” begins with fairytale-like bells. The song sounds similar to a lullaby, which creates a peaceful ending to the album. This song is optimistic as Bedouine sings about “no more crying,” acknowledging her painful emotions of the rest of the album while creating a happy ending. This song is one of the few that does not incorporate acoustic guitar but has soft vocals and piano that ends the album with a similar relaxed sound to the beginning of the album.

Overall, Waysides is a cohesive collection of songs that explore emotions of love and loss. Bedouine incorporates smooth harmonies and gentle guitar to help tell her story and add to the emotion behind her voice.