It's time for another installment. I need to remember to keep these weekly or I'll never finish. I'll make sure to add it to my calendar.
We're listening to Amy Allison's "The Maudlin Years" which, I got to admit, is not going to fit my mood today (I'm rather chipper if I'm honest).
As it starts, slide guitars over a melancholy old country sound tell me that I'm going to be bummed out again. Thankfully I'm going to the gym when this album is over and my workout playlist will pick me up again.
Cheater's World is the first song and I'm enjoying it. It sounds like modern-day Tammy Wynette, which is definitely meant to be a compliment. I appreciate people who do this old style of country in the modern era. I have no room in my life for the "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"s of the world, but this I can get behind.
Hate at First Sight is next and what a great title! It's a little more upbeat, which is nice. Her voice is a little high pitched and I'm not sold on it yet. It kind of goes back and forth.
The Whiskey Makes You Sweeter has started and yeah, the voice is getting annoying. It's like she's singing through her nose, which is an odd choice for the type of music she's trying to make. The lyrics and the music are still giving it a boost. This song appears to tell the story of a woman who chooses partners that may not be great for her as a result of her drinking.
I like the intro to Put It In a Box. It sounds like it's played on a slide guitar and a cigar box guitar. I've always wanted to learn to play the Lap Steel. I think that would be cool. Her voice is a lot more tolerable here. Sometimes it sounds like she's doing an impression of a country singer...maybe that's what I'm finding annoying. It's a short and sweet song, over before I knew it.
Garden State Mall sounds like a pretty straightforward old country song. While singing about her shopping habits at the mall, I feel very seen by one lyric. "And a whole album, just for one song." I can only imagine how many records I bought in my younger years just because I loved the single. I was just thinking about that on my drive home the other day because I definitely purchased Joan Osbourne's "Relish" just because I loved "One of Us".
Anyway, this song is enjoyable enough, but she's back to that nasal voice and it's getting increasingly irritating.
"Another Day to Cry" is on but I kind of got distracted with work, so I missed a good chunk of it. I guess I can start it over...But I really didn't need to.
"You Just Don't Know What It's Like" is really melancholy, definitely a song of heartbreak and loss. The verdict is out on this record I think. Great lyrics, great themes, great music...but this voice. I just don't know.
"This Misery" has my shoulders shimmering at my desk, so that's cool. I'm digging the lead guitar on it a lot too. I'm wondering if I'm doing any good at these little missives. I know one friend who has told me she looks forward to them. But I'm never fully engaged in the music...plus I'm no critic. Sometimes I feel like I'm just going "Meh, like it, don't like it." which is not a blog post, it's barely a tweet. I guess it was a lie saying I'm no critic. I'm the world's foremost Tubbs Critic.
"Everybody Ought To Know" is a song about people trying to keep their relationship quiet in a gossipy small town. Fun idea and it's a really enjoyable song. I love the small-town feel of it.
"Holding the Baby" is breaking my heart despite it's fun and upbeat sound. I hate hearing stories about dudes that abandon their kids. I consider myself to be a really engaged and involved parent and hearing the line "When she says 'Where's Daddy' and I say I don't know" is just murdering me as I can't even imagine Max going through something like that...fuck the guy this song is about.
I wasn't able to write anything during "My World Ain't So Blue" but it wasn't really a song that grabbed me either.
I listened to "Walking to the End of the World" while I went to the bathroom. I'm working pretty intensely on a project and so this has been harder to do than normal. Maybe I should start doing these at night when I can focus. I did like this song, it's one I could relate to in my earlier days where you just wanted one person so bad you would do anything to have them. When I think of how constantly I felt that in high school...Jesus man....it was bad.
"Shady Streets" is the last track. It's got some nice mandolin, another instrument I'd love to learn. It's a nice song, nothing remarkable.
In general, I didn't hate this record, but I don't see ever listening to it or recommending it to anyone unless they say "Man, I wish someone had put out an old country-sounding album with nasally female vocals in 1996." If you're looking for that...let's talk.
EC Top 500 Power Ranking
1. The Best of Cannonball Adderly - Cannonball Adderly
2. Abba Gold - ABBA
3. The Maudlin Years- Amy Allison
4. S/T - David Ackles
5. Subway to the Country - David Ackles
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