BWW Album Review: Laura Bell Bundy's WOMEN OF TOMORROW is Poignant and Thought-Provoking

Almost six years since she last released music, Laura Bell Bundy has returned to us with the poignant album WOMEN OF TOMORROW. Inspired by raising her son with a new brand of masculinity that is pro-feminism, pro-talking about feelings, pro-men tackling household chores, and more, Bundy's powerful new album keenly mixes the vintage aural soundscapes of The Andrew Sisters, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, and classic MGM movie musicals with many of the contemporary issues facing women, including equal pay, the psychological aspects of motherhood, unrealistic beauty standards, ownership over women's bodies, and more.

Best known to Broadway fans for playing sorority sweetheart turned unabashed glass-ceiling shattering lawyer Elle Woods in LEGALLY BLONDE, Bundy's WOMEN OF TOMORROW taps into the theatrical idioms of musicals and narrative storytelling through songs to entice listeners. However, Bundy and her co-writers and co-producers Shea Carter and Jeremy Adelman waste no time discussing the harsh realities of being a woman in the modern era.

Without any hint of subtly, lyrics like "I paint a picture perfect selfie scene / Do you like me? / Click the screen," "I have never been so quiet / If I spoke you'd deny it," and "I want you to like me, so I'm apologizing / Been filled with regret, so you'll never be threatened by me," among others, can feel heavy handed. Excessive even. Yet, the blunt force of Bundy's lyrics reminds listeners that women are simply not listened to by large swaths of society. Even if they do drop on audiences like a ton of bricks, it's absolutely refreshing that Bundy unapologetically forgoes poetic devices to force listeners to confront these issues head on.

As a male, I can only imagine that WOMEN OF TOMORROW is a deliciously cathartic listening experience for women. For me, it's a solid reminder that - until legitimate parity between the sexes is reached - there is more I can do to be an even better, more effective ally for women. Regardless of how one identifies on the gender spectrum, there is an abundance of takeaways from this remarkably thoughtful and thought-provoking album. Truthfully, each track, including her spectacular, re-arranged and slowed cover of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," offers a lot to unpack. Each could serve as a standalone thesis on womanhood. Compiled together, we get an evocative and empowering dissertation that demands we fully attend to it and do the work required to make the world a better place for women.

You can stream WOMEN OF TOMORROW on Spotify. Listeners can also enjoy Bundy's WOMEN OF TOMORROW PODCAST as well, which is co-hosted by her co-writer and co-proudcer Shea Carter.

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