The Unashamed Debut of Bif Naked

BIF NAKED – BIF NAKED (1995, reissued 1996)

Bif Naked, born Beth Nicole Torbert on June 15, 1971, in New Delhi, India, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, actress, and motivational speaker. Adopted by American missionaries, she grew up in Canada and pursued a career in music after studying theatre at the University of Winnipeg. Known for her punk and alternative rock style, she gained fame with albums like I Bificus and Superbeautifulmonster. A breast cancer survivor, she has been an advocate for health awareness and animal rights. Beyond music, she has authored a memoir and continues to inspire through her activism and performances.

The album’s opener, the impressive third single, “Everything”, plays like a plead to put faith back into her relationship.  Invoking that mid-1990s alt. rock sound, this speedy rocker is clearly an attempt at radio and a fine one at that. 

Continuing the post-grunge vein of “Everything”, “Leave Me Alone” is one of the strongest singles that wasn’t.  It’s the most aggressive, distortion-drenched number with some fine chord changes arranged in a fresh way and a passionate Bif Naked sung vocal.  Whereas a more typical grunge vocalist would speak-sing some of this, Bif is keeping to the fruitful melody enough to keep it memorable.  Also memorable is her singing sitting on top of a mattress-size wedding cake for the “Daddy’s Getting Married” music video.  This fret-filled number is apparently a ‘daddy’s marriage seen as a problem by his child not ready to move on and accept a new mom.  While quieter overall, Bif Naked still employs her band for these sweetly grungy guitar lines that just unpolished enough to bring some dirt into this poppier mid-tempo number.  The band get just a bit of time in her music video, less than the one for “Everything”, which doesn’t disqualify their solid sound.

“Tell On You” predates the ‘Me Too’ movement a few decades in advance with its narrator describing how she was abused by a man and vows to tell those around about her horrific experience when she can muster up the strength.  Its plaintive piano and elegant, restrained pop vocal give the tune its strength, but perhaps this was an odd choice to use for Bif Naked’s very first solo single.  Sad and languid, this number gives off a dark bedroom, wind blowing through the open windows, curtains dancing.   

The record veers into folk-rock for the first half of “Never Alone”, an uplifting song that thrives to be of us to teen girls and anyone who’s feeling down that Bif Naked will be there to help.  Halfway in, the band kick up the distortion and plunge into another satisfying guitar sound.  Perhaps the arrangement grew stronger with Bif Naked’s positive affirmations.  “Over You” has a Stone Temple Pilots’ influenced guitar tone and the band’s fantastic riff that lends to the song’s intensity.  Taking on a dry, sarcastic tone, Bif Naked is as confident as the riff, teasing a guy about writing a love song about him, “Writhe around, it’s just a little love song that I’m coming over you.”  “Succulent” dances around like Jamiroquai, the 1990s funk pop hat wearing fellow – a touch of early 1990s hip-hop beat paired with a tambourine frames this light soul number.  With a spoken vocal, it expands the album’s palette significantly, keeping one wondering what direction she’ll go next.  

The smooth pop Madonna-esque “My Whole Life” was the album’s second single, still maintaining a dark-tinted style but within a mainstream vibe like “Tell On You”.  The music videos for both single were black and white like many were in the era and cast a sullen feel to go with the self-motivational speeches.  The slow grunge “The Letter” keeps its ambition simple living in a nostalgic feel for a long gone lover.  “The Bike” seems to be a take on having a crush on a girl, sung with a longing voice over a light post-grunge backing. “Gross Gross Man” is a spoken word piece that seems to tackle being gawked at while also poking fun at women being offended by it like its semi-tongue-in-cheek. 

Half of the 'Bif Naked' is post-grunge, something Canada was in tune with when the movement first broke with bands like Our Lady Peace and 13 Engines.  Bif Naked had been in punk bands initially but solo, she’s slowed the tempos and came up with a ride down rock road that occasionally jets off on vacation in pop, ballads, light funk, and lands in mostly uncharted 1990s music territory with spoken word.