My Window Faces The South
Turtle Bay, 2022
9/10
Listen to My Window Faces The South
The eclectic artist Megg Farrell (Sweet Megg) switches direction with a Western Swing affair, where Sam Chess, Dennis Crouch, Dalton Ridenhour, Chris Scruggs, Billy Contreas, Mike Davis, Ricky Alexander and Chris Gelb are in attendance for the 11 tracks by Fats Waller and Hoagy Carmichael, among others.
“Faded Love” starts the listen with soulful brass, as light drumming and warm bass complement Megg’s inimitably stirring vocals, and “Hesitation Blues” follows with upbeat strings and a bouncy energy that you could and should certainly dance to.
The title track lands in the middle, and it carries a timeless country flavor with its fiddle prowess from Contreas, not to mention Ridenhour’s finger acrobatics on piano, while “Stardust” emits an intimate quality that showcases aching pedal steel from Scruggs in the album’s best.
Moving closer to the end, “Tennessee Waltz” is a bare but impactful track that uses Megg’s expressive voice amid gentle piano, and “Trouble In Mind” exits with absorbing fiddle alongside Gelb’s gentle drums and Crouch’s plucked bass for the breezy and retro spirit that we could never tire of.
A listen that bridges Megg’s life in Brooklyn and its jazz sensibilities with the country and rock of her time in Nashville, there are few artists as diverse or exciting as this vocalist, which is again exemplified by this superb record.
Travels well with: Brennen Leigh- Prairie Love Letter; Melissa Carper- Daddy’s Country Gold