Plumb
Nashville, Tennessee11 reviews across 3 releases
Plumb began in Nashville in 1997 as a Christian alternative-rock band built around singer-songwriter Tiffany Arbuckle, who had worked as a backing singer before recording under the name. The debut Plumb joined distorted guitars to drum-machine loops beneath forceful female vocals; its songs treated verbal abuse and other difficult subjects as material for catchy modern rock rather than devotional slogans. Arbuckle's writing and voice carried the project, while Dan Haseltine and Matt Bronleewe gave the record polished, tightly controlled production. After touring with Jars of Clay, the group shifted toward the more direct alterna-pop of candycoatedwaterdrops. The guitars receded, the arrangements became more radio-oriented, and strings filled the space. By Beautiful Lumps of Coal, the material was still personal and pop-rock based, but the band format had given way to a smoother solo presentation.
By the end of 1999, the other band members had left, and Plumb stopped functioning as a conventional group. Arbuckle later separated from Essential Records and considered leaving music; instead, she retained the name when she signed with Curb Records in 2003. Beautiful Lumps of Coal marked the transition, with Arbuckle writing and co-producing material that reviewers heard as a solo record even when it retained rock guitars. She continued under Plumb through Chaotic Resolve in 2006 and the lullaby-based Blink in 2007, then issued Beautiful History in 2009. After a family break, she returned with Need You Now in 2013, left Curb after Exhale in 2015, and launched Plumb Music. Later releases came through that label, including Beautifully Broken in 2018.
3 releases reviewed
candycoatedwaterdrops
Beautiful Lumps of Coal