Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles

The Stars Are Out (Sugar Hill)

By Karen Choy
Published: April 8th, 2009 | 9:00am

Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles begin third release, The Stars Are Out, with "Do It For Free," a straightforward, hard rock song that is easily comparable to Joan Jett & the Blackhearts — albeit less ballsy. It is somewhat disconcerting when this tough-sounding song is followed by the album's second tune: a hyper, countrified R&B cover of Clive Gregson's "Yesterday's Love."

This abrupt change in musical style is evident throughout the album, in which Borges and her band dabble in a variety of genres. A quick glance at the album's cover songs — the aforementioned Gregson, Smokey Robinson, NRBQ, the Lemonheads, and the Magnetic Fields — demonstrates Borges' own eclectic taste. The problem is that her original songs sound more vibrant than the remakes, with the exception of the Lemonheads' "Ride With Me," which is haunting, heartfelt, and features impressive steel pedal guitar. Otherwise, one wonders why so much (half the album) is devoted to uninspired covers.

In general, it would have been interesting to see Borges channel her influences and present more of her own material, like the pleasant "Me and Your Ghost," a ‘60s-style ballad with nice female harmonies. Borges has a pleasant voice and the skills to create hummable songs that radio listeners will embrace.

With The Stars Are Out, Borges and her band pull off decent renderings of different styles, but the album as a whole suffers from a lack of cohesion that some listeners may find confusing.

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