Released: October 29, 2021
Track list
1. Old Gods
2. Things You Learn the Hard Way
3. If Trouble Comes a Lookin'
4. Let 'Em Burn
5. Cheap Seats
6. Hometown Hero
7. Lost Woman's Prayer
8. Every Day in Faith
9. Lightning in a Bottle
10. Old North State
Songwriter: Emily Scott Robinson
Producer: Jason Richmond
Label: Oh Boy Records
Links
Emily Scott Robinson's Oh Boy Records page: https://ohboy.com/collections/emily-scott-robinson
American Siren on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kxWMV_ytptmvxkFgs2JUQ6svC53dymBr8
TL;DR: Emily Scott Robinson revamps her rootsy brand of independent country with great success.
If you loved Emily Scott Robinson's breakthrough album, Traveling Mercies, you and I have very similar music tastes. Along with Gabe Lee's farmland, Mercies was one of my favorite albums of 2019: richly acoustic, sweet harmonies, and songwriting that deftly switched between the familiar and the specific. American Siren takes that formula and builds on it a little, and the result is another excellent project that's in the running for Album of the Year (disclaimer: it was released in 2021.)
Fundamentally, Robinson and her producer, Jason Richmond, still lean on acoustic guitars to do the majority of the work, and there are a couple of songs that sound strikingly similar. However, the way in which the guitars are used to create atmosphere is what sets Robinson apart from other similar country and folk artists. On "Old Gods", the echoey sound helps add to the expansive, desperate sense of longing the narrator feels, and on "Hometown Hero", they mostly stay out of the way for the story to be told, with a beautiful sample of "Taps" at the end on banjo. And then there's the energetic, upbeat-with-conditions sound of "Cheap Seats" and the sultry feel of "If Trouble Comes a Lookin'". (The latter makes great use of steel guitar.) Finally, the sparse, piano-driven sound of "Let 'Em Burn" is a complete curveball, but it works well given the subject matter.
Robinson is a solid vocalist, somewhat reminiscent of Miranda Lambert, who knows how to best use her voice to fit almost any song she writes. With more tragic and horrific material like "Hometown Hero", a lesser artist would run the risk of oversinging and bringing accusations of melodrama, but Robinson seems to know when to let a note trail off into an frail whisper and when to hold on to it just a little longer. (See also her hopeful cries at the end of "Let 'Em Burn", a strong, serious song that might be considered a less dark version of "Run" from Traveling Mercies.) Robinson has the charisma to pull off "guilty pleasure" songs like "If Trouble Comes a Lookin'", which feels like a song Lambert might cover at some point, or the motivational material of "Things You Learn the Hard Way" and "Cheap Seats", too.
The writing, as mentioned earlier, is both familiar and specific. While almost anyone can relate strongly to at least one line on this album, you might be surprised by how specific the imagery gets and how beautiful and subtle the word choice can be. "Things You Learn the Hard Way" is definitely a list song, but much like "Ghost in Every Town" from Mercies, the sharpness of the details and the wisdom imparted make up for it. "Trouble" and "Hometown Hero" are dangerously predictable, but package enough twists and clever wordplay and sometimes devastating imagery to keep from sinking into eye-rolling territory. "Cheap Seats" is a vast upgrade on "White Hot Country Mess" from Mercies, and "Lost Woman's Prayer", "Lightning in a Bottle", and "Let 'Em Burn" make use of familiar subjects and well-worn idioms to absolute perfection. Honestly, the biggest disappointments here are the too-slow "Every Day in Faith" and much more so the folksy "Old North State." The latter song does not seem to fit on this album in terms of mood, and the rushed nature of the some of the lyrics and vocals makes it feel tacked on and unnecessary. At least it wasn't another ode to the South, but "State" could instead be called an overly optimstic love letter to the North. Nonetheless, these criticisms are nitpicks.
At 10 songs (44 minutes, 29 seconds per Spotify), this album seems to be the perfect length. There's not a song on Siren that's unpleasant to listen to. Emily Scott Robinson appears set to be a force in indie country for years to come.
Rating: 9/10 (Album of the Year contender)
Favorite song: "Cheap Seats"
Least favorite song: "Old North State"
CONTENT ADVISORY: This album contains several instances of emotionally heavy thematic material.