Never Mind
Aintquittin, 2020
8/10
Very few artists will ever have the longevity that Margie Singleton enjoys in her 7 decade career making music. While generally behind the scenes as a songwriter to countless hits, she’s also been a studio musician on hundreds of recordings. Here, at the age of 85, Singleton returns with 5 tunes penned by her and her son, Stephen, where her traditional country music approach sounds just as relevant today as it did in the ‘60s.
The title track starts the listen with plenty of timeless classic country on the warm, upbeat setting where Singleton’s rugged yet pretty vocals suit the rhythmic instrumentation perfectly, and “Who’s Going To Love You (Too Late For Sorry)” follows with swift guitars as frisky percussion highlight the busy atmosphere of melodic yet gritty rural sounds.
The last 3 tracks are equally memorable, including the softer, sublime “Wonder What She’s Doing”, while “Missing You” recruits well timed pedal steel in the reflective, pop friendly climate. “Lie To Me”, a hit she wrote in 1962, exits the listen and is the best track present, where bluesy harmonica enters the soulful landscape.
An extremely spry octogenarian, this restart on Singleton’s career displays her lifetime of experience and skill in a brief but engaging and particularly charming effort that hopefully is the first of many more to come.
Travels well with: Jeannine C Riley- The Music City Sessions; Patti Page- This Can’t Be Love