#MWE March 2023
Listen to more country records by women!
This month’s Theme Week (13-19) was recent-ish country/adjacent records by women (more scattered through the month), every one of which is great. Kelsea Ballerini’s divorce EP should make more people aware of her prodigious talents, even if it’s not destined to top the charts. I saw 3/1’s twofer play live three days later, and the show was sensational, both artists great. 3/30’s disappointing twofer, meanwhile, was a direct result of - I kid you not - Spotify’s pretty good Acid Jazz playlist. For Trans Day of Visibility (3/31, not that every fucking day shouldn’t be), I highly recommend Izzy Heltai’s 2021 EP, and hope we get a full-length from him this year.
Other pick hits: Denitia, Elle King’s country turn, the War & Treaty (how had I never listened to them before?!), and Flamy Grant - don’t assume that just because she’s a drag queen, she’s a joke; she’s got some songs. No real Musts to Avoid, but the Oliver Sims and Hazell Dean albums are (obv) different versions of mediocre takes on dance music.
Coming up for April: a Brit-funk Theme Week, my first listens to classics by Dusty Springfield and Marty Robbins, the boygenius debut LP, and… Taco! Follow me on the bird app if you’re so inclined @thomasinskeep1, or just subscribe to this here Substack if you haven’t already.
Gabe Lee, The Hometown Kid (2022): His raspy voice &, more importantly, tightly-written songs make John Prine comparisons inevitable. But this Taiwanese-American country-rocker is hoeing his own row, on a record with hints of Isbell and mid-‘80s Mellencamp, too.
1b. King Margo, Waters Rise (2022): The songwriting by this female duo is so sharp: beautiful story-songs, mostly re people just trying to live their lives. (They wrote all 10.) Simple arr & prod highlight the words & their gritty harmonies. Can’t wait to hear these live.Pebbles, Always (1990): Peak-era L.A. & Babyface, incl. a classic ‘Face ballad in the duet “Love Makes Things Happen” (which I love). Here’s the thing: it’s also kinda autopilot L.A. & Babyface; Pebbles wasn’t getting all of their best. High points high, rest meh.
Amethyst Kiah, Wary + Strange (2021): Superbly swampy, deep roots music. There’s a real Lanois feel (wonderfully prod by Tony Berg), though none of the vibes would matter if not for these sterling songs and Kiah’s killer bluesy vocals & ripping guitar leads.
caroline (2022): Vaguely post-rock-ish, w/ some drone, & here’s the real twist: a healthy dose of ‘70s Brit-folk. I hear some Television, too. RIYL early Richard Thompson, maybe even Pentangle? The instrumentals are consistently superior to those w/ vocals.
Flamy Grant, Bible Belt Baby (2022): Easily the best LP I’ve ever heard by a drag artist, a trad country outing feat. smart lyrics, great guests (Semler, Adeem the Artist), & an Amy Grant cover (!). Flamy sings beautifully, of things that matter. ps: FUCK THE TN GOP.
Millie Jackson, Feelin’ Bitchy (1977): Musically speaking, so much Isaac Hayes influence; this feels less ‘77 and more ‘72 in its Southern soul-isms. Her combo of singing and spoken monologues nearly never gets old; her topic of men & women sometimes does.
Gloria Estefan, Mi Tierra (1993): She takes it back to Cuba to pay heritage to her roots, post-global superstardom. It’s v Fania-glory-days-esque; the salsa tracks are my faves, b/c I love classic salsa. Her voice has never sounded better; even the ballads are gorgeous.
Harper Grae, Confessions of a Good Southern Lady EP (2022): Forthright, polished country about coming out, hooking up (the sexy, queer spin of “I Like Ya Like That”), and breaking up. A strong singer singing great songs, which is just what I want from my country.
Sadao Watanabe, Jazz Samba (1967): A hot hard bop quartet set led by Japanese jazz giant, flutist/saxman Watanabe, w/ an emphasis on bossa nova. But also: a cover of Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny”! His tone is lovely, his band is superb, esp. Masabumi Kikuchi’s piano.
Paisley Fields, Limp Wrist (2022): Love his super-gay presentation in the country sphere; many of these songs (“Iowa,” “Catch Me,” “Jesus Loving…”) hit me hard, as a midwestern queer. But a few jokey songs (cf. “Flex”) irritate, & his voice can sometimes grate.
Linda Lewis, Lark (1972): Roberta Flack-esque early ‘70s soul, only largely acoustic & often guitar-based, sung by a Brit with a voice reminiscent of Minnie Riperton. She wrote all 13 songs and co-prod w/ her eventual husband; it’s pretty but never grabs me.
Carrie Underwood, My Savior (2021): Obv she can sing. What really elevates her takes on these hymns & gospel standards are the understated, oft-acoustic arrangements, which really let the songs breathe. V Southern, v country, v Gaither Family Revival, v gorgeous.
Joy Oladokun, in defense of my own happiness (2021): From Tracy Chapman manqué cover, I was surprised by the largely contempo prod; key is the Maren Morris co-write/vocal on “Bigger Man”: that seems to be who Oladokun patterns herself after. Great lyrics, deep vocals.
Elle King, Come Get Your Wife (2023): Never cared much for her pop-rock; country is def more her lane. Some lyrical cues are too country-clichéd, but her voice indicates that her heart’s firmly in this. “Drunk” sticks out but rules, & the rest is solid-to-great.
Denitia, Highways (2022): Her high, clear voice reminds me of Aimee Mann. The production is gorgeous, soaking slide guitar in layers of reverb, occasionally giving it a ‘60s Owen Bradley feel. “My Weakness,” about unrequited love, is a Rumours-era Mac-esque stunner.
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Crooked Tree (2022): Many of these bluegrass songs feel vintage, but all are new, co-written by Tuttle, pretty much all superb. (“The River Knows” is a gut-punch Appalachian ballad.) Smart guests (Welch, Tyminski, Strings), great singing.
Sunny War, Anarchist Gospel (2023): She sounds like the daughter of Armatrading & Chapman but w/ a gritty, DIY Americana aesthetic. Album is smartly produced, the essence of the word “rootsy,” but also plods a bit, is def overlong. Didn’t love, prob won’t return to it.
Kelsea Ballerini, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat EP (2023): 100% devastating. Ballerini wrote/co-wrote every song and co-produced this EP processing the end of her marriage, and it’s clearly her story. Prod choices are wise. She sounds vulnerable, & as a divorcé I get it.
18b. Carly Pearce, 29: Written in Stone (2021): Holy shit, these lyrics: lacerating, & so perfectly sung by Pearce, a Kentucky singer in the best trad (think Lynn, Loveless - the latter sings on “Dear Miss Loretta”). A marvelous divorce album w/ a chip on its shoulder.Allison Russell, Outside Child (2021): Simultaneously warm & haunting, this is like nothing else, a queer Canadian woman of color singing about childhood abuse w/ rootsy accompaniment - but also her own clarinet (!), and god, her voice (both in English & en français).
Brit Taylor, Kentucky Blue (2023): A rich, strong soph country LP (co-prod by Sturgill Simpson) by an Appalachian singer who sings and writes w/ a lot of confidence. Taylor’s pen is reminiscent of Loretta Lynn, while her presentation cribs a little from Kacey Musgraves.
Oliver Sim, Hideous Bastard (2022): Musically, a limp-er version of Hercules & Love Affair; his voice weirdly reminds me of Beck. But lyrically he’s super upfront/fwd re internalized homophobia, HIV, more which as a queer person I appreciate. & Jimmy Somerville guests!
The War & Treaty, Lover’s Game (2023): The Trotters, Mr. & Mrs., give me a lot of Chris & Morgane Stapleton energy here, w/ their jaw-dropping vocals & harmonies, & overall sound, classic-sounding country w/ dashes of Americana & Southern soul. Fires on all cylinders.
Diane Schuur & the Count Basie Orchestra (1987): She’s got a great big, brassy voice, good for live jazz/standards (“Porgy” is lovely), but occ veers into shouty territory (opener “Deedles’ Blues”) - maybe that’s an effect of having to sing “over” a big band like this?
Jake Blount, The New Faith (2022): What a fascinating album: reinterpretations of classic Black spirituals recast in a Afrofuturist setting, from a rich-voiced fiddler/banjo player. The production is a marvel, roots music accented w/synth textures, snap tracks, & raps.
Relient K, Let It Snow Baby… Let It Reindeer (2007): Many of leader Matt Theissen’s originals are lovely, heartfelt, sometimes sadboy ballads, but most of their takes on traditionals sound like an awful “Punk Goes Pop… Christmas!” record, & nobody needs that.
Hazell Dean, Heart First (1984): The first side of Stock Aitken Waterman’s 1st LP project is fun enough, entertainingly gay club ‘84 hi-NRG thumpa-thumpa. But much of the b-side is pretty deadly midtempos & ballads. Dean’s an entirely average singer.
Adia Victoria, A Southern Gothic (2021): Talk about truth in advertising - this is dark, swampy music, w/ blues guitar licks, rootsy storytelling, moody production, & Victoria’s high, ethereal voice floating above it. Some of these songs sound like Delta ghost stories.
Brooklyn Dreams, Sleepless Nights (1979): This soul-adjacent male trio’s harmonies were more pop (cf. Four Seasons) than R&B, which lessens their impact for me. But “Coming Up the Hard Way” is a lite-disco fantasia, they penned everything here, & much of it percolates.
28b. Louis La Roche, Sleepless Nights (2017): Remember the staggered beats, pitch-shifted vocal bits, & spiky synth melodies atop lush chords, of early 2010s electronic dancefloor music (sometimes filter-y, too)? Here you go. RIYL Syn Cole, Porter Robinson, Braxe & Falke.Sean K. Preston & the Loaded Pistols, Forgive (2018): Some of these songs feel a bit “my woman done _____” regressive in the blues-rock tradition; Preston has spit & fire to both their vox & guitar. The band is solid, the vibe rockabilly/blues via the deep South.
Kuna Maze, My Fish Is Burning EP (2021): Frankly, the white version of acid jazz - it’s got the bones of ‘70s jazz fusion & ‘90s broken beats, along w/ the squiggly keyboard melodies, but is missing the soul. Fine as background music, but not super compelling.
30b. Carleen Anderson, True Spirit (1994): This American expat 1st made it in the acid jazz scene w/Young Disciples; her solo debut is similar, lots of shuffle-beat & boom-bap supporting her strong vox, along w/some midtempo R&B. But nothing much stands out.
Izzy Heltai, Day Plan (5 Songs Written 4 the End of the World) EP (2021): His voice/meter codes as ‘90s indie to me, but his songs are def from a folk-ish trad, & there’s special little touches (the horns in “Beauty Queen”!) that make it all pop. & wonderful lyrics.