Gina Villalobos

Days on Their Side

(Face West)

There is an old fable about the sophomore slump where someone who had a great rookie debut will fear the dreaded slump of their second year. This can be applied to anything from sports to music. In 2004 California-based alt-country singer songwriter Gina Villalobos went the opposite direction and released her sophomore record Rock 'n' Roll Pony to glorious press praise and fan reverence.

Now two albums later, Villalobos continues her momentum with her captivating fourth full length Days on Their Side. The 12-song album opens beautifully pulling at your heart, if not downright ripping it from your chest, with “Take a Beating.” A song as laidback as her California roots, but so lyrically honest it evokes every emotion you have ever felt in a relationship. And the best part of the song is she isn’t ashamed of loving someone even though she knows they aren’t the right person for her.

The opening track sets the tone for the album as Villalobos turns up the brightness with “Sun in My Eyes” and sparse instrumentation in “String It Out” for eloquently smooth opening trio of songs.

No matter if Villalobos adds some pop undertones (“Pictures of Pictures”) or goes all-out country (“Immune”) on us, her orchestration with her backing band is just flawless. They have the strength in their style to blend all instruments together to flow oh so sweetly. This is just half the beauty of Days on Their Side. It is Villalobos’ honesty and delivery in her vocals that make this record so damn good. She has that subtle honey-soaked sound with a little bit of heartbreak ache that everyone of these dozen tracks envelope the listener.

It’s only natural to compare Gina Villalobos to Kathleen Edwards or Lucinda Williams, but Days on Their Side clearly shows she is one in her own and will be topping the proverbial “Best Of” lists for this one.