The Artistry of… Barbra Lica
Imagine the bravest and most daring one on the playground: the one going the highest on the swing set or sliding down the longest and highest slides; the one who spun the roundabout the fastest, and the one who was the teeter-totter champion. That is where I wander when I listen to the music of Barbra Lica. Although there is an element of the liberties of childlike playfulness, she brings a grown-up sophistication that tempers any all-out recklessness. She writes stories for music. It sure sounds that way. Her songs tell stories, and her stories are songs. The match is seamless. Sometimes while listening, I can almost imagine a page turn as the book is flipped around to show the colourful picture that goes along with it. Barbra Lica’s intimate artistry travels the spectrum of emotions. Sometimes I feel I have been let in on a little secret, given some buoyancy by her prose of charm and wit, and then I can also feel I am on that playground, going the highest on the swings with her, spinning the roundabout really fast, and sliding or teeter-tottering and having a grand old time.