Chrystia Cabral’s Spellling & the Mystery School is a collection of songs from throughout her career as Spellling, but with a twist, as each track has undergone a complete reimagination. The already eerie “Under the Sun,” from 2019’s Mazy Fly, has been masterfully reworked into an even eerier sci-fi ballad with an ominous string arrangement and an interlude punctuated by synth flashes, while “Phantom Farewell,” from 2017’s Pantheon of Me, beefs up some of the song’s original sonic distortions for a bigger, grander sound.
The new electronic elements may give the album’s songs a supernatural quality, but there’s heart and humanity in the lush orchestral arrangements, velvety drum patterns, and Cabral’s captivating, soulful voice. The minimalistic percussion and piano on tracks like “Hard to Please (Reprise)” provide Cabral the space to showcase her impressive vocal prowess, accompanied by background vocalists Toya Willock and Dharma Moon-Hunter.
While Spellling & the Mystery School’s ethereal arrangements evoke a sense of curiosity and innocence reminiscent of old fairy tales, Cabral’s lyrics tend to engage more with America’s fraught political history. “Haunted Water,” for example, pays tribute to the victims of the transatlantic slave trade: “Hang our hands across the water/Hang our hands across the sky,” she sings, referencing Paul McCartney’s 1971 hit “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey.”
Cabral’s political commentary is poignant, but the even more intimate view of her self-actualization results in the album’s most insightful moments. She hits at the depression she suffered as a teen on “Boys at School,” a song that originally appeared on 2021’s The Turning Wheel: “Tomorrow I turn 16 years/I don’t want to grow older.” Another track from that album, the R&B-infused “Always,” finds her poignantly revealing her struggle with accepting love: “How can I ever know what love can truly be?/I want to live alone inside my fantasies.”
The fresh renditions of these tracks simultaneously demonstrate Cabral’s artistic growth and also set the tone for her future endeavors. Her lyrics have always been gut-wrenching, but what sets Spellling & the Mystery School apart from her past work is how seamlessly and vividly those words have been reinterpreted. With a vibrant kaleidoscope of sounds and ethereal ambiance, Cabral brings both her fantasy world and reality to life.
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