Coming or Going?

Bryan Hall
July 19, 2002

In this day of hit singles and next-big-things, when the same fifteen minutes of fame are passed around from one bright new star of female pop to the next carbon copy, from Nelly Last Year to Vanessa What's-Her-Name to Avril Something-or-Other, is there room for a woman who wants to do it the old fashioned way?

By "The Old-Fashioned Way," I mean that seemingly long-forgotten combination of originality, passion, catchy hooks and smart lyrics that musicians use to craft albums that are engaging and lasting. With Coming or Going?, Virginia's Regan follows this formula while staying accessible enough to fit into MTV's ever-shrinking playlist without sounding cliched.

Coming or Going? is a departure from the moody, at times spacey sounds of her 2000 debut album First Breath. Backed by a number of Virginia-based musicians, including members of Agents of Good Roots, Ringsend, River, Nothin' Fancy, and the Dave Matthews Band, Regan puts forth such a complex and diverse group of songs that invite repeated listening.

The album begins with "Dying a Fool," a great leadoff track with a chorus that will stick in your head for days. Next up is "Rollin'," a groovy tune led by Andrew Winn's guitar riff and featuring an outstanding keyboard solo by Josh Harvey (of Ringsend). Like many of the songs on Coming or Going?, this one carries an uplifting, optimistic message. Songs like "Carry On" and "1001" evoke a similar feeling, but they start out in a more desperate emotional place, teetering on the verge of cliche, but not falling in. Delving into darker sounds and emotions, Regan demonstrates the full range of both her voice and her songwriting with "I Will Do," a moody number, where her breathy delivery is complemented by a complex arrangement and thorough production to reach the listener with a level of passion and emotion foreign to Top 40 radio.

Regan breaks free from the sorrow of "I Will Do" and "Shine On" to deliver clever, bouncy tunes like "Would You," which is arguably the most lyrically creative song on the album, featuring quirky verses that revolve around a simple chorus that asks "just to know that you're still alive." My personal favorite song on the record, though, would have to be "Blue Skies," which Regan has perfomed live frequently over the past few years. While Regan often performs live with just her and Andrew Winn's guitars as accompaniment, the album version of "Blue Skies" is dominated by the drumming of Brian Jones until the triumphant chorus kicks in. And, despite a guitar riff that is eerily reminiscent of the Travling Wilburys "End of the Line", any song that uses the words "fancy-smancy-pants" is all right by me.

Coming or Going? ends with the sad, but hopeful "Nickel," which sounds like Regan's message to the world that she's on her way. Hopefully mainstream radio is listening and this album can get the attention it deserves.