Album Review
In May 2003, Suki Rae released two very different albums on her Reverence for Life label: I Think of You and My Bamboo Hat. While the latter is a lighthearted, humorous, playful sort of album, I Think of You is much more serious-minded and introspective. It's also the more consistent of the two, and perhaps that's to be expected. My Bamboo Hat was meant to be whimsical — Rae is clearly having fun on that CD — whereas I Think of You finds the singer/songwriter doing a lot of hard thinking and has more of a sense of craftsmanship. Both approaches are valid, but if either album does more to demonstrate the sort of emotional depth that Rae is capable of, it's I Think of You. This adult alternative effort doesn't go out of its way to push the smile button; emotionally, I Think of You deals with the good, the bad, and the ugly. But while this CD doesn't have a naïve, Polyanna-ish tone, it isn't morbid or depressing either. Lyrically, Rae examines the positive and negative aspects of life, and her conclusions are ultimately more positive than negative. There is both darkness and light on I Think of You, and light has the upper hand — although Rae certainly doesn't pretend that the darkness doesn't exist. The album's overriding theme is as follows: yes, life is hard, but hang in there and don't give up. Because Rae has embraced so many different musical styles — everything from jazz to traditional Jewish and Middle Eastern music — an adult alternative disc like I Think of You can only tell part of her creative story. But it's a likable, sincere part.
