Eden Brent's piano playing and singing style… Read Full Bio ↴A Little Boogalography!
Eden Brent's piano playing and singing style ranges from a melancholic whisper to a full-blown juke joint holler. She's simultaneously confident and confiding, ably blending an earthy meld of jazz, blues, soul, and pop as she huskily invites listeners into her lazy, lush world.
That world lies just north of Greenville, Mississippi on the two-lane Highway 1, which follows the twists and turns of the river through fecund swampland, time-forgotten plantations, and blink-and you'll-miss-'em communities like Rosedale, Benoit, Wayside, and Grace before it dead ends into Highway 61 at Onward.
It was there that Brent was able to develop her gutsy vocal-and piano chops via family sing-a-longs and a 16-year apprenticeship with the late blues pioneer Boogaloo Ames, who ultimately dubbed his protégé "Little Boogaloo."
"Music school taught me to think, but Boogaloo taught me to boogie-woogie," says Brent, who appeared alongside her mentor in the 1999 PBS documentary Boogaloo & Eden: Sustaining the Sound and in the 2002 South African production Forty Days in the Delta.
Where most 21st century roots musicians merely emulate their heroes, Brent and Ames were both "soul mate and road buddies," says lifelong friend (and acclaimed journalist) Julia Reed. "She was a young white woman of privilege and he was an aging black man in the Mississippi Delta, but theirs is a phenomenal story of mutual admiration and need."
Yet much more than the blues flows through Brent's talented hands: Critics laud her "Bessie Smith meets Diana Krall meets Janis Joplin" attitude, compare her to jazz/pop dynamos Norah Jones and Sarah Vaughan, and wax effusively about her "whiskey-smoke" voice, which serves as a constant reminder that Greenville, nestled into a bend of the Mississippi River, is located a few hundred miles north of New Orleans.
Whether booked as a solo artist or bandleader, Brent's performance is fresh and spontaneous, often filled with audience requests and participation. Her unshakable talent and her carefree demeanor have taken her across the country and around the world, with appearances at the Kennedy Center, the 2000 Republican National Convention, the venerable Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and tours of South Africa and Norway under her belt.
Since launching her career, she's won the Blues Foundation's 2006 International Blues Challenge, and was a 2004 inductee on the Greenville Blues Walk. Sharing a bill with B.B. King, Brent performed at the 2005 presidential inauguration, and solo, she's appeared at the British Embassy and at the 'My South' celebrations in Mississippi and New York. She's also burnished her reputation via appearances on radio shows like the syndicated Beale Street Caravan and XM's Bluesville, at festivals like the Waterfront Blues Festival, Edmonton Labatt Blues Festival and the annual B.B. King Homecoming, and aboard The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.
With the 2008 release of her new album Mississippi Number One, Brent is now ready to take her place as one of the fresh voices propelling this vital American music forward. As Chip Eagle, publisher of Blues Revue, BluesWax, and Dirty Linen says, "in Eden's huge playing and singing you can hear the ghosts of Mississippi in duet with the future of the blues."
Better This Way
Eden Brent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But baby, you know that I tried
I won't lament the years that we spent
There's no use in weeping and crying
We've run out of time I've made up my mind
Don't try to beg me to stay
Leaving today hurts me to say
Better this way than keep saying sorry
Better this way than keep hanging on
Better this way then someday my darling
We'll be okay, it's better this way
We can't pretend this isn't the end
It ended a long time ago
Let's raise a glass, toast to the past
And all of the joy that we've known
See you around it's a small town
And you'll be with somebody new
Politely we'll smile knowing the while
Oh that baby, I'm still loving you
Better this way than keep saying sorry
Better this way than keep hanging on
Better this way and then someday my darling
We'll both be okay, it's better this way
We'll be okay, it's better this way
We'll not regret ‘cause it's better this way
In "Better This Way," Eden Brent sings about a breakup that was a long time coming but is ultimately for the best. The singer is upfront about not putting her best foot forward in the relationship and acknowledges that it's time to move on. Even though it's painful, the decision has been made, and it's time to let go. There should be no regret for the time spent together because it was good while it lasted, but it's time to move on.
The chorus emphasizes the idea that it's better to end things than to keep hanging on, attempting to apologize for what can't be fixed or prolonging a relationship that isn't working. The break up will be difficult, but it's ultimately the best choice.
The song has a wistful, almost regretful tone, but it's also empowering in its acknowledgement that leaving is the best choice. It's a reminder that sometimes, doing what's best for you requires making tough changes.
Line by Line Meaning
I must confess it wasn't my best
I admit that I didn't do my best
But baby, you know that I tried
But you know that I made an effort
I won't lament the years that we spent
I won't regret all the time we spent together
There's no use in weeping and crying
Crying and being sad won't change things
We've run out of time I've made up my mind
We don't have any more time left, and I've decided what to do
Don't try to beg me to stay
Please don't plead with me to stay
Leaving today hurts me to say
It's hard for me to say that I'm leaving today
It's better, it's better this way
It's for the best, it's better this way
Better this way than keep saying sorry
It's better to end things than to keep apologizing
Better this way than keep hanging on
It's better to let go than to hold on to something that's not working
Better this way then someday my darling
Ending it now is better than waiting and hoping it will get better someday
We'll be okay, it's better this way
We'll be fine, it's better this way
We can't pretend this isn't the end
We can't ignore that this is the end
It ended a long time ago
Our relationship already ended a while back
Let's raise a glass, toast to the past
Let's celebrate the good times we had together
And all of the joy that we've known
And remember all the happy times we shared
See you around it's a small town
We'll probably run into each other because it's a small town
And you'll be with somebody new
And you'll have a new partner
Politely we'll smile knowing the while
We'll politely smile but know that we still love each other
Oh that baby, I'm still loving you
I still love you, baby
We'll not regret ‘cause it's better this way
We won't regret it because it's for the best
Contributed by Lauren L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.