(People of Orphalese Records, digital)
Hana Zara’s early recordings revealed an inquisitive songwriter and an unassuming guitarist with a palpable concern for others. She developed those qualities along a lengthy journey to find her identity and her place as an artist. With her latest EP, Bloom Where You Fall, the Burlington expat advances as a vocalist who wields an affecting sound and conveys her worldly understanding through personal storytelling and poetic illustration.
Most of the seven tracks reflect the defining experiences of her recent years, from overcoming personal struggles to meeting and falling in love with her husband, who hails from Mexico City and with whom she’s now settled in an artists’ village in Massachusetts. The opener, “Our Work Here Is Not yet Done,” instills a sense of renewal as Zara sings of undergoing a crucial transformation in an anonymous recovery community in South Philadelphia.
In the liner notes, she calls this “an anthem for anyone who has struggled with addiction,” and it moves with a depiction of struggling souls gathering to “give being alive one more shot.” But its chorus — “our work here is not yet done” — speaks to a perseverance implied by the record’s title and echoed throughout.
Zara’s 2018 album, Where Amanda Is King, struck illusory, even cosmic tones. Her new offering achieves a rich folk resonance thanks to the varied instrumentation provided by Ozark Mountains-based musician Kelly Mulhollan.
Over the course of three years, the two artists exchanged music and ideas. Mulhollan’s arrangements, forged with banjo, mountain dulcimer, octave mandolin and more, don’t simply complement Zara; they showcase her abilities as a singer.
Rerecorded after serving as title track to her 2013 sophomore release, “Tatterhood” is revitalized by Mulhollan’s orchestration, and Zara’s younger brother joins her on vocals in a moving tribute to their parents. With the touching acoustic ballad “Anabelle,” Zara offers comfort and hope to her younger self as part of an ongoing process of discovery and healing.
Prior to meeting her husband, Zara went through what she calls in the liner notes a “tumultuous” breakup. “Little Fires” illuminates the complex emotions — “incessant desires” — she felt in the wake of the separation. “I’m sorry that we stumbled on the darker side of love,” she apologizes.
However, she bears no shame in “Subtle Hand,” a declaration of love and commitment to her husband. They met after they’d each been “wounded,” and in this warm piece, she seeks his eternal devotion, imploring, “let me spend my days with you.”
On “People Against an Empire,” released in May as a single, Zara shifts her persona to skillfully fuse activism and songwriting. Dismayed by what she saw on a trip to Israel and a visit to its western border, she assumes the viewpoint of a young Palestinian girl living under occupation.
Finally, she lets her imagination drift into the future on “Time Irreverent.” It’s a dystopian and heartrending fantasy in which she takes on the perspective of a former human who’s morphed to become half-machine and immortal. As this lonely being, Zara yearns for genuine interaction but has only memories to cherish, and her words form a striking context to close out the recording: “And our lives were short, but our love was long. So, we sang, and we prayed and played songs.”
Bloom Where You Fall is available on all major streaming platforms.
This article appears in Nov 6-12, 2024.
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