Stupid Things

I’ve always kind of had a thing when it comes to female singer/songwriters. I feel like the genre is mostly trapped in this perpetual loop of piano/ukulele backed love/heartache niche that winds up losing my interest because it all sound so similar. So when I put on Sarah Dooley’s Stupid Things album and Dooley breaks out in song, backed by piano, I kind of just rolled my eyes and prepared for what would likely be more of the same. 

 

To my surprise Stupid Things ended up being an album that stood out from the usual fare by offering up a collection of attributes that made it absolutely fantastic. 

 

The first thing that caught my attention was Dooley’s wonderful sense of humor. The title track for the album is a comedic narrative about being young and stupid and, of course, being forgiven while on this particular learning curve of life. 

 

With a sense of humor like reminiscent of Kate Nash, a beautiful voice with range (which partially reminds me of Priscilla Ahn), and a nerdy pop culture sensibility, there’s a lot to love about the album. It’s infused with Dooley’s character, it isn’t overly crammed with nothing but songs about relationships, good or bad, and it has a universal connection that works for any gender. Weather it be asking a friend to come over and watch Goonies or reminiscing about a high school dance, Dooley manages to capture something special here. Truly a must own album.