Teresa Bergman ‘33, Single & Broke’
There’s nothing like the discovery of a rare talent like Teresa Bergman can brighten your days up. The Long Beach-based singer/songstress is an exceptional vocalist and unorthodox storyteller. Humorous yet sophisticated, nostalgic yet modern, graceful yet courageous, through her songs, listeners get to know her as a spirited artist and a wonderful human being. 33, Single & Broke is a diverse collection of songs would truly opens your mind about music-making and songwriting and even teaches you a thing or two about life.
A true artist is always inspired by life, but they go up and beyond, transforming those humble relatable experiences through their work. Teresa Bergman’s music is like that. Like a ray of sunshine with all shades of light, through her jazzy and soulful vocals and poised storytelling, she transforms the disappointment and grim of reality into an album of eleven songs, with grace and temperament, free-spirited and fierce. They are like little windows that open up to the moments in life.
You’d expect something dark and depressive, but that’s not at all what 33, Single & Broke sounds like. A gentle melancholy, a longing somberness can be heard through the course of the record. As if stepping out from a time machine, her music has the vintage feel that goes beyond just being nostalgic. There’s a very immediate texture in her music that feels vividly present. At the same time, her music exposes a filmic flair that intertwine both fantasy and reality in intimate epic.
Songs like “Tears and Time” opens an introspective conversation about the hard lessons learned through heartbreaks. She’s like the best friend you always wanted to have, and that’s how appealing and highly relatable her lyricism is. However, songs like “Collateral Damage” is full of gun powder and sass. She shows you a side of her that’s unapologetically loud and untamed. Camp fire, rock n roll, big stage gives you such a different experience than atmospheric coffee house jazz. In this song, her fierceness pierce through the sound wall and her vocal.
“Checkout Tears,” on the other hand, is an intimate folk jazz tune with butterfly-like piano runs in and out. As if in a slow dance, the narrative unravel gently and gradually, so poised with a speck of melancholia. A glance into her inner world. “Old Timer” is Teresa Bergman’s own brand of pop. Her treatment with pop and jazz aesthetic reminds you a little bit of soundtrack from La La Land. Mesmerizing and anthemic.
“Whatever That Was” lets out a bit of playfulness with personality. The brief single is a beautiful demo/sonic documentary that gives you a taste of her writing process. Not yet to be serious, but it’s that moment of drifting away in music that’s so wonderfully beautiful.
Bergman is undoubtedly a very talented singer. Music flows through her so effortlessly. She has the perfect voice for jazz, a little bit of lonesome and grace becoming the soulful howling and wailing that haunts you to core, but Bergman isn’t just about jazz. She has folk singer’s natural desire for personal expression and storytelling. She has the blues in her and the unmistakable pop sensibility. There’s simple no rules in her music making. Authentic, truthful and inspired, that speaks volume in every single song she brings onboard.
