As a single release, you would think that Liz Graham’s song Damaged would get a brief review, and it will.
But if you consider it a stepping stone on a long, winding path toward redemption of a musical career it hopefully makes for a more interesting review. And it will.
Liz Graham was once a up-and-coming name to be reckoned with in the musical world. In the mid 1990s she appeared at Lilith Fair, won several local awards in the New York area, and released an album that she says sold over 100,000 copies “with virtually no promotion behind it.” Had this all happened 15 years later, it would be considered a huge success but this was a time before the internet and social media helped define our culture. So with the turn of the millennium, Liz was more or less forgotten.
Yet for some reason this year of reviews has featured a number of performers who have been on the shelf for a long time, even some who released material recorded decades ago. In Liz’s case, though, Damaged is actually the second in a series of singles I’m presuming will be featured on a follow-up to her self-titled album she released last year. This single is actually scheduled for release on April 10, following another single called Charcoal On A Canvas she put out earlier this month. But the Damaged video is already out on YouTube so here’s your shot to listen for yourself.
Indeed, the song is firmly placed in the adult contemporary ranks she’s aiming herself toward. But after listening to some of her other songs on her ReverbNation site and home website, I’m convinced Damaged is just a little bit of a weaker track than the others – in particular, Charcoal On A Canvas and Climb On My Walls (from her first CD) are better songs. Musically it’s fine but I’m just not feeling the lyrical angst from Damaged.
One thing I can say about her prospects, though, is that she has a unique way of promoting herself, even promising online concerts streamed from her kitchen (“coming soon.”) Obviously she has her own way of doing things and that may have led to a self-imposed obscurity.
But as she tries to work her way back she will need a little bit stronger material than this single. To get to the level of success she had, you know she was capable of better so I look forward to seeing if her upcoming songs meet that expectation.