Two powerhouse duets make for two great records today.
“Hook and Line”
Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson
Traditional
Jonathan Keefe: This reunion between two former Carolina Chocolate Drops is just teeming with joy. Recording “Hook and Line” at the home of their mentor, the late Joe Thompson, clearly served as an inspiration for both Giddens and Robinson to throw down some of their finest picking, which is a high bar for the both of them. I’m confident that this will fit perfectly in their forthcoming album.
But I don’t know that it’s necessarily a great standalone single.Giddens and Robinson hedge their bets as to whether or not to make this purely an instrumental, waiting for well over a minute to sing a few bars, at which point it’s a bit of a distraction to introduce the vocals at all. Ultimately, a spirited instrumental might have played even better, since it’s really the interplay between Giddens’ banjo and Robison’s fiddle that shine here. B+
Kevin John Coyne: Right out of the gate, the warm performance and quiet arrangement remind me of early Gordon Lightfoot in the very best way, so this one was bound to hook me quickly.
Beckmann doesn’t mine new lyrical territory here, which makes it all the more impressive that he finds fresh ways of capturing that in between time when you’re not sure you’ll ever love again the way you just did. That flowers line in the bridge is a sucker punch in the very best way.
What an already formidable talent. A
”The Divorce Song”
Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson
Written by Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson
KJC: This duet is a highlight of Backbone, one of our ten best albums of 2024 and Chambers’ personal best to date.
It keeps its tongue planted firmly in cheek when looking back at the marriage, but the celebration of the divorce is genuine and heartfelt. These are two people who love each other and thought they were soulmates, but when life went in a different direction, they chose gratitude over attitude and prioritized the well-being of their children, and the bond that remained between them through those kids.
And what a beautiful thing they have modeled for those children: Take a chance on love, but if it doesn’t work out, stay on good terms, but don’t stay where you don’t want to be because of promises that your heart can no longer keep. A
JK: When I first saw the track listing for Backbone, I couldn’t get over the audacity that Chambers had recorded something called “The Divorce Song” with her literal ex-husband. And when I actually listened to it, I couldn’t get over the humor and kindness that she and Nicholson displayed toward each other. It’s almost impossibly clever, and it’s as catchy as anything in their individual or collaborative catalogs.
Without any bitterness or conflict to it, a song about two fundamentally kind humans being this well-adjusted shouldn’t work at all. But “The Divorce Song” is, more than anything, instructive. It’s a lesson in how there are times when we don’t have to cast someone as a villain just because. A
“The Divorce song” is a highlight of a fantastic album!