Listening to Courtney’s music on the last few albums, has been akin to listening to her musical diary. Following the moving and emotionally burnished beauty that was ‘Old Flowers’, this album thankfully sees her on a much more positive tract in her life, and her music.
The listener is always guaranteed a feast for the ears on any Courtney album, but she is never content to sit still, and each album has had its own unique theme and vibe.
‘Old Flowers’ had the heartbroken singer coming out of a nine-year relationship, scarred and querying ‘Will I ever let love in again’. The title track sees her prepared to take a chance again, but at her own pace:
I have learned from my mistakes
There’s parts of me I can’t give away
I just wanna take it slow
Don’t wanna give a yes or no
Can we play it cool?
Loose future
However, by the end of the song, she realised, she is maybe already committed to a love, despite her attempts at creating an emotional barrier and self-defence. After the darkness and anguish reflected on ‘Old Flowers’, this is a new spring and the blossoming of a new relationship
Who am I kidding? We’re halfway there,
But I’ll keep pretending that I don’t care
There is still an acknowledgment of past hurt and heartache, but the path is open to better times, and the possibility of fresh possibilities, new beginnings, and perhaps, Love.
People like me think feelings are facts,
Falling in love gives us a heart attack
One foot in the future, one in the past
Wanna know for sure if it’s gonna last
(These are the good old days)
A real feel-good song. An acceptance of past mistakes, but a desire to live in the present and make each moment count. ‘Enjoy every sandwich’, as Warren Zevon advised.
‘Older Now’, takes a similar sardonic look at where she is on her journey ‘You do What you Want’ is addressed to a friend who despite screwing up all the time, she still makes space for, and whom people forgive, in spite of that destructive streak.
‘Satellite’ is a celebration of love with no bounds, a love to shoot to the sky, and the spacey vibe means the sonics match the sentiment. ‘Let her Go’ is a love song to a friend, the type of song that Courtney stamps with such gentle authority, with lines such as:
She’ll give you advice, that she wouldn’t take
Simple, yet on point, succinct, and catching the essence of the independence of the friend in a few short words.
Such sharp lyrics, concise and instantly relatable, have long been a trademark of Courtney. A quality that, for me, makes her one of the most interesting artists working today, not just in Americana, but in music in general.
Changed life outlook, changed vibe too in the music. For the most part, it’s upbeat, melodic, and sweet, with Courtney’s crystal clear vocals glistening on top, reflecting her new optimism. A ‘Loose Future’, and a looser sound, and a fine, fine sound it is. Enlisting Sam Evian (Big Thief), to co-produce has expanded her usual sound, and having musicians of the calibre of Josh Kaufman (Bonny light horseman) and Chris Bear (Grizzly bear) on board is always going to enhance the sound and quality of any record.
With a voice this exquisite, it is difficult to put a note wrong, and Courtney, now a published poet, writes confessional songs like few others. The mid-tempo melody songs have always been a given delight throughout her career. I find myself singing her songs out of nowhere walking down a street. There are traces of Ronstadt and Carole King, Sheryl Crow, and Lucinda Williams, but Courtney has always had her own uniquely distinctive sound. On the slower, sad, contemplative songs that for me, she excels in a way very few other artists can.
There has always been a sad, vulnerable trace to Courtney’s voice, that give the songs that extra edge and makes the listener so empathic to the singer. It is something that cannot be learned and is an innate part of her performance and appeal.
Listen to ‘Let her Go’, or ‘Change my Mind’, and tell me I’m wrong.
I always look forward to new material from Courtney, and after the downbeat nature of ‘Old Flowers’ I wondered what we might expect. Well, it’s an album full of magical little songs, in a contest all of their own, to see which is the best.
Truth be told, they are all winners.
‘Loose Future’ is a great title for an album, but for Courtney Marie, the future is bright, shiny, and assured.