Waxahatchee :"Tigers Blood"

This is one of those reviews where I just give my first impressions of an album that is more than likely going to take some time to fully sink in. The first thing that is apparent this time around is Katie Crutchfield is more of a country singer than not. Sure she is soulful. But there is an honest twang that offsets most of her indie sensibility. The opening song plays to her strengths. "Evil Spawn' finds more of her indie-rock side coming out, and while it's effective it just doesn't connect with me the same on the initial listen. 'Ice Cold' has more jangle to its strum.  It's a more big city take on folk music. She shows more vocal colors on this one which I appreciate. This album is very organic in its feel and was produced in a manner that plays up to this, as it sounds like they are just plugged in right in your living room.

It is easy to understand why 'Right Back to It" is the lead single for this album as it is clearly the strongest song so far. The bar is really high considering how good "Saint Cloud" is. "Burns Out at Midnight" is another song that helps her live up to the challenge she created for herself with the previous album, though it is going to take more than one listen to really ingest it. Not that it is a complex song, rather it's simple and subtle.  "Bored" connects from the get-go, as there is a sense of movement, and vocal lines groove over the laid-back country jams. The album works with a down-home warmth that radiates the landscapes of Alabama. However, she backs off from them to a more spacious introspection on "Lone Star Lake" to create something that reminds me of the Indigo Girls. 

The first song that really demands me to revisit it and form more solid thoughts for the purpose of this review is "Crimes of the Heart". Her melodies flow with flawless grace, which makes up for moments when her lyrics make the more obvious choice that holds less poetry but might feel the most truthful to her. "Crowbar" has a touch of Chrissy Hynde to it, but moves with a casual dance that is hard to not join in on. "365 has more country in its DNA but is also very stripped down. The dynamics lie in her voice, which she shows off while serving the song.

Songs like "The Wolves" are excellent, but in a different way than the songs on "Saint Cloud" worked. There is a touch of the pop sensibility that the album held, but it approaches it from a different angle that feels like it is a more genuine exploration of who she is. It ends with the title track which is one of those songs that is going to take a few listens to grow on me. I can hear a more pastoral folk feel there. The harmonies are really cool, and certainly one of the album's strengths. I will give this album a 9.5, as see how it grows on me, it shows her settling into her skin as an artist. 

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