Black Bear, The Cinnamon Phase

reviewed by dave heaton

Do you like looking at other people's photo albums? Do you like listening to them? The liner notes for The Cinnamon Phase include for every song a couple photos from the life of Black Bear, aka Sam Beebe, along with the lyrics and his description of where/when the song written, and about what. The CD booklet alone is an endearing peek into someone's life; the album itself even more so.

The cinnamon phase is a color phase in the life of a black bear. The Cinnamon Phase captures a particular time period in the life of Black Bear, the artist. "Artist" in this sense is less a professional status than a lifestyle choice: the quality of having the guts to put your feelings and experiences into songs. Like the music of Kimya Dawson or Jason Anderson, The Cinnamon Phase is driven by a DIY, put-it-all-out-there sense of courage. Where those two generally use their voices and guitars, Beebe's tools are his voice and electronics – synths and beats – not unlike Bobby Birdman (whose voice his sometimes resembles a rougher version of) or even the Postal Service. Those sleek, future-present sounds are a big part of what makes this album completely addictive, the album that in recent months I've been most likely to repeat as soon as it's finished.

The other reasons I find this CD addictive are the melodies and, not unimportantly, the real-life, diary aspect of it. Memoirs are popular for a reason – people relate to hearing other people's stories, their emotional and physical journeys in life. I'd always rather hear about the life of a regular person than somebody famous or powerful. And I'd always rather hear about someone's life – about where they live, their new loves, the trips they've taken, their families, their dreams of having a flying Delorean like in Back to the Future -- in the form of impassioned, fun, funny, friendly, sad, hopeful and fresh songs like these.

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