A tip of the cap to Nashville’s best songwriters
Brandy Clark – Your Life is a Record (Warner)
As a younger man, I was incensed by Brandy Clark’s inability to crossover into the mega-country stratosphere in which she still deserves to live. After penning tracks for ‘Randa, Kacey, et al., that her own brilliant work barely made a dent was further proof of the sexism and homophobia still rife in the record biz (doubly so for the good old boys in Nashville). As an older man, I know now Clark was never destined for the big leagues in the first place. Though her songwriting will always pay the bills, her hooks are too subtle for the bombastic swill of mainstream country radio, and her voice is more at home in a fireside cuddle than a dive bar glory hole. This record, her third, is the most consistent of the bunch and radiates a genial sense of confidence and charm — as if she’s made peace with grinding out what profit she can muster from the theater gigs she’ll have until she dies. Metaphors include bad cars with good memories and the title track that knows music is the soundtrack of humanity. Lessons are learned on “Pawn Shop,” where a diamond ring symbolizes promises broken, and “Who You Thought I Was,” wherein a breakup leads to better things. As for the Randy Newman duet that pays deference to Noah, I thought it was hokey on first listen. Now I know it’s a moment of levity this record needs, and a necessary balm for the audience in a year where humor is hard to come by. GRADE: A-
Lori McKenna – The Balladeer (CN/Thirty Tigers)
The best songwriter in Nashville is this Massachusetts mother of five, whose specialty is crafting stories rich with practicality and pragmaticism. You’ll find both elements in equal measure on “Girl Crush” and “Happy People,” a pair of hits she gifted to Little Big Town, and “Humble and Kind,” which went No. 1 and made professional hack Tim McGraw likable for the first time. While this album is absent a similar go-to anthem that’s ready made for Hallmark season and graduation cards, it does feature her most consistent set of tunes — the bulk of which are centered on a mother’s unyielding and uncompromising love. Roll your eyes and label her corny all you want, but these songs are not merely Cracker Barrell cliches. Dig the reassuring “Uphill,” wherein McKenna encourages positivity and patience without belittling and undercutting our real-world anxieties. While you’re reaching for a tissue, listen to “When You’re My Age,” a necessary reminder that we’re capable of loving and being loved. Elsewhere, a sister anchors a family after a mother’s death, a couple still fights the good fight of matrimony, and adulthood isn’t achieved until teenage dreams are chased after. From start to finish, her kindness is ever present and made even more likable by a slight drawl that’s as comforting as a home-knit sweater. It fits this mama’s boy just fine. GRADE: A
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