STELLA LEFTY’s debut album, “Long Way Home,” has catchy melodies but feels a bit inauthentic.
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OUR TOP 5 TRACKS
5. Something To Lose (Ft. Vincent Mason)
“Something To Lose” is a song about STELLA LEFTY’s fling turning into a real relationship.
What I like the most about the track is how her voice blends with Vincent Mason’s. There are also some nice images in the song as well, such as when she says “I was a wild horse built for running / Didn’t see those blue eyes coming.” Nice image, albeit somewhat cliché.
I discovered right off the bat that I didn’t particularly like STELLA’s voice or the fake Southern accent, which dampened my enjoyment of this song and the others on this list, but this track was good enough.
4. Good At Leaving
“Good At Leaving” is an upbeat track about Stella’s track record of leaving relationships for “no good reason.” She gets in her head about them not working out and leaves before she gets hurt, warning her lover that this will happen to him, too.
The track is catchy. Compositionally and lyrically, there is nothing wrong with it. It was a generally good listening experience. The problem remained her voice.
3. Feel Better
I really liked the opening guitars in “Feel Better,” a song that tackles depression. The lyrics aren’t necessarily groundbreaking, but I appreciated hearing her focus on something other than a guy for once. Her voice also wasn’t as grating to me here as it was on some of the other tracks. Honestly, the instrumentation is what stands out most on Long Way Home. It feels noticeably different from everything else.
2. Why Wouldn’t We
“Why Wouldn’t We” is probably the cleverest Long Way Home gets. It has a playful, romantic vibe that I genuinely enjoyed, which is especially nice considering it’s the album’s closer. I’m glad Stella was able to end the project on a high note. Her voice also worked much better for me here, as I had very little issue with it throughout the song.
1. Lean In, Kiss Me
“Lean In, Kiss Me” is the opening track on Long Way Home, and it’s also the best. I thought that it was upbeat and fun, and captured a crush in a really sweet way.
The joy is pretty infectious, and the vibes are playful. There’s nothing groundbreaking about it, but it is a fun country song. I thought that this was going to be the vibe of the album, and I did think that I’d like it more than I did because of that. But this song is good.
SONG-BY-SONG RATING
Lean In, Kiss Me (4/5)
Whiskey (3/5)
Thinking ‘bout You (3/5)
Ain’t Something I Do (3/5)
Boston (2.5/5)
Missing You (3/5)
I Know I Know (2/5)
Slow Dancin’ (3.5/5)
Something to Lose (3.5/5)
Good At Leaving (3.5/5)
Summer You Were Mine (3.5/5)
Feel Better (3.5/5)
Why Wouldn’t We (3.5/5)
RGM RATING
(D)
I wish that I had more to say about STELLA LEFTY’s debut record. I think that the real thing is that she has no artistic identity other than “country singer,” at least from what this album could tell me. Her voice isn’t great, and her southern accent is clearly exaggerated and fake, which makes everything feel inauthentic. I thought that before even looking up who she was. Then I looked her up on Wikipedia after writing all of my song breakdowns and saw that her father is AI billionaire Eric Lefkofsky, and I was less confused about how she came onto the scene. I don’t like most “nepo baby” discourse, but when it’s there, it’s there.
I do think that Stella has potential. She exhibits a fun personality on tracks like “Why Wouldn’t We” and “Lean In, Kiss Me” that make her shine, and if she leaned into that and polished her voice (and maybe ditched the accent), I could see her making a better sophomore album. I’ll probably listen to “Lean In, Kiss Me” again because it is a fun song. I can especially imagine it being delightful to drive to.
Giving the album a D felt harsh, but also, that’s what the ratings averaged out to, and if we look at a whole as the sum of its parts, then that is unfortunately where the record stands with me.
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