Fall Down to Fly by Amy Steinberg
Refusing to Hold Back, this Folk Album Shines with an Anthem for All
“I’m not gonna hold back no more. I’m not gonna hold back.” These lines from Amy Steinberg’s song “Shine,” the fifth track of her album “Fall Down to Fly,” reveal the intention with which she writes. It appears that Steinberg rarely holds back, whether vocally, instrumentally, or with regard to her material. This album addresses a variety of issues including insecurity, frustration, and fear, while at the same time it deals with survival, endurance, and looking a “little bit harder at the blessings in [our lives].”
Steinberg is a risk-taker, a creative visionary, and a gifted vocalist. Trained on the piano since the age of four, this instrument features prominently on the album. Yet, Steinberg also extends beyond her formal training and incorporates a number of tracks which are dominated by the guitar, an instrument on which she is self-taught. Switching the emphasis back and forth between the piano and guitar, this album has a touch of jazz, a bit of folk rock, an element of blues, and a hint of pop. Touching on each of these genres gives the album a fluid, progressive feel and gives the sense that Steinberg’s music, like her lyrics, defies true categorization.
Themes, Emotions, and a Glimpse at the Tracks
Covering a broad spectrum of tempos and emotions, most everyone is sure to find an anthem in this album. Whether one is holding tightly to a current lover, lamenting a lost love and trying to move forward, or admitting struggles and vowing to love oneself through the pain, Steinberg’s album has it all. The softer tracks like “Wonder” and “All Time” will get you through a rough night, while the slightly rougher and more punctuated “Love Me Anyway,” acknowledges flaws and insecurities while offering unconditional love and encouraging its reciprocation. Steinberg writes honestly and openly when she says, “I’m gonna take off my mask and show you who I am inside.” She goes on to reveal, “I get down-right depressed sometimes and yes, I am a goddess, but I can be unkind…I get frustrated and, of course, I can be wrong, my best can fall short and my worst can last too long. Oh, baby, love me anyway.” And, then she addresses it on the flip-side: “You get down-right depressed sometimes and, yes, you are my baby but you can be unkind…I am gonna love you anyway.”
Reciprocation is a powerful theme in this album, as are the issues of love, pain, depression, endurance, survival, fear, and validation. Yet, Steinberg doesn’t stop there. She also tackles productivity and the promise of a generation. The tracks entitled “So What” and “Hope” are placed back-to-back. She writes in “So What” that “I can go and go and get and get, but I can’t hold on to anything.” Here, she grapples with the feelings of empty productivity that are often encountered by high-achievers of the current age and she questions “What does it all mean?” The next track, “Hope,” in a way serves as a response to this song. In this track, Steinberg offers some reassurance in the revelation that we all have a choice in how we react to our circumstances and that we’re “gonna make it in the end.”
And, make it in the end, we do. Steinberg ends her album with the track entitled “Keep On,” an upbeat anthem of endurance and a resounding call to open up our voices. Start to finish, this album is an emotional journey. Great for reflective self-analysis, as inspiration after a hard day, as a showing of solidarity during a rough patch, or even as background music while tending to mundane chores on a lazy Saturday, this album has it all.
Track Listing
- Just in Time
- Fall Down to Fly
- Wonder
- Round and Round
- Shine
- So What
- Hope
- Love Me Anyway
- Carolina
- All Time
- Keep On
Where to Find Her
For more information on Amy Steinberg, her music, and her tour schedule be sure to visit her website or the link to her MySpace page that is given above. Both the website and the MySpace page are very interactive and creative in set-up, offering sample tracks, lyrics, a tour schedule, and a biography of the performer. The album can also be purchased online at CD Baby.
