Never has given Lydia Loveless, a chance but her name has been popping up, so I am glad to have given it as chance as Loveless's 6th album might have found her arriving at an iconic level of songwriting. It blends indie rock with country and folk in a very organic fashion. Other albums have attempted to do similar but her album feels the most genuine. "Sex and Money" has the best twang, that carries over even when it builds into the chorus. "Runaway" is more reflective. In many ways, she is like a female Jason Isbell, as she listens to more than just country music, so her brand of Americana is colored with other shades of life aside from pickup trucks and trailer parks.
"Feel " is darker and more reflective. There is an 80s punk feel that also holds echoes of the Replacements on "Toothache" The album gets its title from the lyrics from the chorus of the song "Ghost" . Her brassy alto is more belted in parts of this song. There is a gradual dynamic build that no surprisingly finds her abandoning the conventions of country music. "Do the Right" does recall 10000 Maniacs more than Patsy Cline, but is very effective at painting the picture she sets out to. Her songwriting is concise and focused on keeping things economic.
There is more of a rock feel to the guitar leading into "French Restaurant" and it has a smoky attitude that invokes both Melissa Ethridge and Concrete Blonde. She ends up really belting it out when the song builds. The last song is a more introspective ballad that has a great deal of substance to it. Not unlike the way Isbell writes his ballads. She has played shows with the Drive By Truckers so it would be hard for him to not at least have a passing influence on her work. I will give this album a 9.5 , it caught me by surprise and I wish I had checked it out when it first came out.
8.7
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