Betsie Larkin
All We Have Is Now

Elizabeth "Betsie" Larkin from San Francisco is a professional guest vocalist: a very talented and skilled singer who has built her career lending her voice to various DJs and electronic music projects, probably the most famous being Armin Van Buuren but primarily Ferry Corsten, the first to "launch" her by entrusting her impeccable interpretive taste with a couple of key episodes of that little great masterpiece of sound architecture known as "Twice In A Blue Moon", a collaboration that then continued greatly with "Not Coming Down", a stunning and visionary trance-ballad and undisputed peak of "WKND", the latest album by the Dutch artist. Unlike many of her peers, Betsie Larkin managed to debut with an album under her own name, featuring songs specifically written for her by many of the musicians she regularly collaborates with. After all, there's nothing substantially different from the circus surrounding Madonnas and the like, with the difference that here the "game" is absolutely transparent and declared, as the tracks are strictly co-attributed in all respects to each of the producers called upon from time to time: Just to clarify, instead of being credited as XY feat Betsie Larkin, here the official notation is Betsie Larkin feat XY. I don't think it's necessary to dwell too much on what are the blatant differences between an album like this and "generic" trash; in the sounds, in the attitude, in the different target, certainly much narrower and genuinely passionate to whom an album like this is aimed.

Let's take a look at the cover: at first glance, it might not seem so, but it's very important and decidedly fitting for the musical proposal. Betsie appears with a minimal and futuristic look, sober and impeccably elegant, holding an astronaut's helmet and dragging a huge parachute, which I like to interpret as an "updated" version of Mary Poppins' umbrella, a means to take flight rather than to land. And all this fits perfectly: the subgenre proposed in "All We Have Is Now" is trance, a particular branch of house music where the atmospheres, somewhere between the futuristic and the ascetic, perhaps matter even more than the groove. Airy and expansive synths, sometimes grandiose but always with great lightness and elevation, meticulous attention to details, structures, tempo changes, and atmosphere, and generally emotive and spiritual lyrics, even if in a very broad sense. This album is centered on singer Betsie Larkin, and thus it lacks the instrumentals that generally make up the relative majority of a full-fledged trance album, but despite this, the average duration of the tracks hovers around 5:30/6 minutes, and the imprint remains very well defined. Music that makes the "soul" dance more than the body, providing feelings of energy, positive charge but above all relaxation and well-being, a pleasant flight in total disengagement and serenity.

I currently don't know any of the artists involved in the project apart from the inevitable Ferry; there is also an Italian (from Viterbo), Giuseppe Ottaviani, but his piece is not among the album's highlights. Therefore, it is pointless to mention them all, but albums like this also have the merit of inspiring new research, and at least a couple of names are already in my notebook. And then, despite the multitude of (similar but inevitably different) minds involved, "All We Have Is Now" is a beautifully fluid and compact album, without contrasts or excessive discrepancies; midtempos like "Let It Shine" and "Breathe You In" dominate the scene with refined sounds, bittersweet atmospheres, subtle yet powerful and well-defined, a voice that is always firm, expressive, and impeccably balanced. Betsie Larkin's voice is not one that makes you jump out of your chair with surprise, but you never tire of listening to it: you can feel all the technical preparation, the sense of moderation, the passion of a very talented performer who, having been born and raised in San Francisco, has most likely always lived in close contact with a certain level of electronic and dance music. Ferry Corsten gifts her with a gem like "Stars", great energy, epic stride, and impeccable pop sensitivity; undoubtedly the keynote uptempo of the album, at least in terms of commercial potential. "All We Have Is Now", which pushes the groove pedal further down, is no less, as is "The Offering", a sparkling crescendo from minimal rhythms to powerful and visionary electronics.

"The Flicker Inside" is the only episode credited solely to the Californian artist, who tackles downtempo/chillout sounds; a relaxing, ecstatic piece, veiled with new age suggestions; it seems as if it never takes off, but that's exactly how it should be, revealing itself to be better than the similar "Toys" in collaboration with Giuseppe Ottaviani, hindered by somewhat chaotic development and a melody not as fresh and effective as in other episodes. Two reworkings of previously released material, "Made Of Love", directly from Ferry's "Twice In A Blue Moon" and "You Belong To Me" by Russian Dmitry Almazov aka Bobina, are beautiful: the two songs are stripped of all instrumental parts, the grooves, everything not directly related to Betsie Larkin. Only the piano and voice remain, and this way, the focus is placed on the deepest soul of the songs, a soul that shines intensely in these fascinating piano-ballads, "Made Of Love" with its philosophical and spiritual poetry, "You Belong To Me" more poignant and full of spleen. The idea is not original, it's essentially unplugged versions, but the execution and especially the ultimate result are superb: two nocturnes of great atmosphere and suggestion.

"All We Have Is Now" is certainly not an indispensable or even entirely perfect album, episodes like the initial "The Dream" and "Obvious" are penalized by slightly too slick refrains, but I personally have learned not to give them too much weight, also because they are really just minor sins, but for the rest you easily grow fond of it. Why not, after all, it's a well-crafted work, good songwriting, excellent sounds and harmonies; even those who usually flee at the mere mention of words like house or dancefloor might appreciate it (after all, the much-demonized tunz-tunz definitely doesn't live here) or at least find some positive note or reason for interest. Well done Betsie and everybody involved, for me today's Pop is them and other artists driven by the same search for a style and sounds that "sound" genuinely, that don't end up being a bleak and desolate background for selling glossy garbage. They may appeal or not appeal, but the foundations, a "deontology" of pop they have, and they carry it forward with commendable results.