The return of Laura Bryna and a guest spot from Pam Tillis are this week’s highlights.
“My Own Lane”
Sunny Sweeney
Written by Natalie Hemby and Sunny Sweeney
Jonathan Keefe: The wry humor in these lyrics is Sweeney’s stock and trade, but the structure of “My Own Lane” has co-writer Hemby’s fingerprints all over it. That’s a good thing, obviously: Whether on her own solo work or her enumerable collaborations, she’s developed a distinctive style that can fully hold its own with a firebrand like Sweeney.
As welcome as a new single from Sweeney always is, though, “My Own Lane” isn’t one of the strongest of the new tracks on her Still Provoked project. The arrangement isn’t quite punchy enough to sell this declaration of independence, and Sweeney’s performance lacks the immediacy of some of the other standout turns she gives on her updated version of her 2014 album. The song itself is a winner, though. B
Kevin John Coyne: I am a fan of artists revisiting material with the benefit of more life experience to bring to the table, and it’s interesting to hear new songs folded into the mix.
The rebellious nature of this song is inherently youthful, and when recorded with more years behind her, Sweeney’s “My Own Lane” feels even more rebellious, like she’s stubbornly refusing to become conventional while many of her fellow rebels have given up and settled down.
I think this would benefit from more fire in the performance, but I can appreciate the quiet strength being projected here. I’d be curious to hear what this could’ve sounded like on the original Provoked album. B
“Time to Say Goodbye”
Laura Bryna
Written by Cameron Bartolini, Laura Bryna, leelee, and Jonathan Price
KJC: Since we’re ending with a nineties nostalgia piece this week, it’s fitting that this Bryna release is so reminiscent of those stunning ballads that were hidden on so many albums from the women of that decade.
“Time to Say Goodbye” would’ve fit perfectly on Hearts in Armor or revelations, though there’s nothing derivative about it. Bryna’s expressive vocals and razor-sharp writing here are so on point that they didn’t bother with much production. You don’t get in the way of a performance like this.
I don’t recall Bryna’s earlier work but I do know that what made so many of the country artists from the 90s impactful was that their talents had matured and they were in full command of their gifts. If she wasn’t there before before, Bryna is certainly there now. A
JK: I have only vague recollections of being unimpressed by Bryna’s first few releases back in the aughts, and I honestly haven’t thought about her in more than a decade. Even in an era when new artists struggled to stick around, her work just didn’t stand out.
So this record is quite a pleasant surprise.
Vocally, her performance here has a theatrical flair that’s of a piece with some of Lorrie Morgan’s better work. Her phrasing is well-suited to the drama of the narrative, and there’s an interesting bite in her timbre.
But what works best about “Time to Say Goodbye” is the relative minimalism of the arrangement. Even when she’s reflecting on a few of the positive memories of this doomed relationship, the production uses little more than some distorted steel guitar and a Hammond B3 organ to create an ominous mood. It’s a real vibe, this record, and how great it is to rediscover an artist who’s got a whole lot more going for them than I thought. A
“Piranhanana”
Shovels & Rope
Written by Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent
JK: At their best, this duo have emerged as the heirs apparent to X, finding a perfect balance between country storytelling and a punk-leaning aesthetic.
“Piranhanana” is not Shovels & Rope at their best. It doesn’t recall X so much as it sounds like The Raveonettes… and not that duo’s one good album from twenty years ago. The woman described here is assembled Frankenstein-like from a bunch of long-dead clichés, with only a sneering “na-na-na,” hook trying to bring her to life.
The good news is that “Colorado River” suggests there’s some great material ahead on Shovels & Rope’s upcoming record. Check out that one and throw this one back. D
KJC: How can a song that’s under three minutes still go on forever?
They really put the “mean” in meandering here. Who knew that a song could be so boringly bitter? Bitterly boring?
Either way you say it, I don’t want to spend any more time in this space. D
“90’s Country Song”
Grace West featuring Pam Tillis
Written by JT Harding, Seth Mosley, Jenn Schott, and Grace West
KJC: Grace West comes correct.
The recent Voice star is only 19 years old, but she has wisely identified Pam Tillis as a legendary talent worth emulating, and she’s in full agreement with us that “Maybe it Was Memphis” is as good as nineties country gets.
West’s performance here is understated and clear-eyed as she makes the case for her new romance being so good, it’s nineties country good. And this is very much my kind of nineties country: Tillis and the Chicks, Tim and Faith, ”Neon Moon” and “Strawberry Wine.”
Tillis provides subtle support for West across the track, saving her vocal power for the harmony track so she doesn’t overshadow her young mentee. West is a promising talent and she establishes a solid pedigree with a little help from her mentor. Her vocal reminds me of a young Jo Dee Messina, especially on the chorus.
“90’s Country Song” inevitably pales in comparison to “Like I Love Country Music,” Kane Brown’s exploration of the exact same theme in the exact same way. The difference between the two records is simple. West is just starting out, while Brown’s talents are fully realized, so he can showcase a distinctive point of view that demonstrates the influence of nineties country while also synthesizing it into something new.
West isn’t there yet, but she’s on her way, especially if she’s anything like Tillis, whose early work just barely hinted at the Hall of Fame worthy discography that she would record in the nineties and beyond. For now, West is a promising young singer and she’s off to a good start. B
JK: I’m never going to be upset about hearing something new from Pam Tillis, and all credit to Grace West for having an actual icon of 90’s country contribute to her “90’s Country Song.” There’s a lot to like here, from the prominent banjo riff in the opening bars to the recurring pedal steel and fiddle throughout the arrangement, and the fact that the first 90’s country song to get name-checked is one by The Chicks.
Still, this rarely rises above the level of paying lip-service to what I’ll forever argue was the genre’s strongest era, in the same way that so many songs of this type have already done over the last couple of years. The capacity to recognize greatness gives some acts like West– or, to pick perhaps the most obvious example of this, Carly Pearce– at least something of an advantage over their contemporaries who are trying to retcon Nickelback as something more than deeply shitty AOR.
But that ability to recognize greatness doesn’t always translate into the ability to imitate or expand upon it. West’s voice is just all right. But when Tillis joins, it’s all the more apparent that West isn’t winning this imitation game. I hear potential on this, sure, but, not to put too fine a point on it, I don’t know that I’m turning my chair for what I hear here. C+
Time To Say Goodbye is definitely the keeper in this bunch; Bryna’s voice reminds me quite a bit of Deborah Allen (never a bad thing). I like the West one, too; the girl obviously has taste–hello, Pam Tillis–and this song does just enough beyond the cute lyrical bent to evoke an actual ’90s country song.