B.B. Cole’s Of Love and Loss doesn’t just sound like an album. It looks like one. In a bold move that places her among artists like MGMT, whose 2010 album Congratulations was accompanied by a vibrant visualizer, Cole favors a visual storytelling format that deepens the listener’s experience. Each of the 12 tracks on her sophomore album is paired with an illustration inspired by the Major Arcana of tarot cards, crafted by French illustrator Ariane Dudych. These designs, offered as tarot cards and mini-posters, extend the album’s themes of love, loss, and the mystic tension between fate and free will into a visual realm.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BBColeMusic
This approach feels like a natural extension of Cole’s aesthetic as an artist who thrives on narrative depth. While MGMT’s hallucinogenic visuals added layers of whimsy to their psychedelic pop, Cole’s tarot-inspired artwork feels grounded in ancient symbolism, casting her as both the narrator and the mystic. In an age when physical album sales are waning, this tactile and collectible element breathes life into the format, ensuring the album is more than sound – it’s an experience. Of Love and Loss balances its visual ambitions with a sprawling musical palette that traverses country, soul, blues, folk, and rock in various permutations. Its opening track, “(The Tale of) Lady Primrose,” introduces the album with a thunderous duet featuring producer Marc Miner. The song’s galloping rhythm and ambiguous story of seduction and destruction are perfectly complemented by its tarot counterpart—The Lovers, perhaps, or The Devil. It’s a dynamic beginning that thrusts the listener into intrigue.
“Poor Beatrice” follows, and the banjo-laced tune belies the grim tale of Beatrice Cenci, a historical figure mired in tragedy and injustice. Much like the Justice card in tarot, the song explores moral ambiguity and societal flaws, inviting reflection even as the melody keeps toes tapping. “A Stolen Heart” slows the tempo, presenting a ballad steeped in melancholy. With swelling strings and haunting vocals, Cole recalls a lost childhood love with a swirl of emotions that the track scarcely reconciles. This track feels tethered to The Moon card, its lyrics navigating the shadows of memory and regret. The middle portion of the album brims with stylistic shifts. “Close At Hand” bathes in gospel’s warm glow while “Wave of Love” channels the effervescent energy of The Star. It’s a bright, enchanting track that radiates optimism. “The Lion and the Virgin” is a brooding but brisk piece that could easily be linked to Strength, its metaphors of power and vulnerability swirling in a tempest of pedal steel and mandolin.
As the album progresses, it becomes clear that Cole’s ability to juggle genres is one of her greatest strengths. “The Sun Song” arrives like a dazzling sunrise, pairing bluesy Americana with lyrical themes of renewal, while “Over Before It Started,” her duet with Lorae, strips back the instrumentation for an intimate, unfettered exploration of fleeting love. There’s a neat instrumental hook that made it especially enjoyable for me.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/of-love-and-loss-feat-lorae/1770706817
The closing tracks bring the album full circle. “Hide and Seek” veers into eerie, haunting territory, its shimmering instrumentation and ghostly vocals evoking The High Priestess—a card of mystery and intuition. Finally, “Coffee Eyes” has a blear-eyed yet poetic touch that never betrays heavy-handedness.
Other artists, from Beyoncé’s Lemonade to Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer, have successfully blurred the lines between the sonic and visual. However, Cole’s use of tarot adds a unique twist. Much like MGMT’s visualizer for Congratulations enhanced their album’s psychedelic themes, Cole’s tarot illustrations amplify Of Love and Loss‘ emotional and mystical layers, ensuring each listen feels as immersive as the first.
Of Love and Loss is more than a collection of songs; it’s a fully realized artistic statement. By bridging the worlds of music and visual art, B.B. Cole invites her audience into an experience that is personal and universal, modern and timeless. It’s an album to be listened to, seen, and most importantly, felt.
Kim Muncie
