Riddy Arman
La Honda, 2021
9/10
Although this is the debut album from the Montana singer-songwriter Riddy Arman, it certainly doesn’t seem like it as she delivers like a seasoned vet across 9 minimal tracks that surround country life and can be rooted back to her childhood in rural Ohio.
“Spirits, Angels Or Lies” starts the listen with a song inspired by the story of her father’s passing, where Johnny Cash visited him on his deathbed, as Arman’s expressive pipes are met with calm guitar and sparse drumming, and “Half A Heart Keychain” follows with a break up tune that’s poetic and touches on country and folk ideas with much grace.
“Both Of My Hands” lands in the middle and recruits an ominous quality that’s full of dark, introspective beauty, while “Help Me Make It Through The Night” benefits from warm keys and Arman’s emotive delivery that does justice to the Kris Kristofferson original. “Old Maid’s Draw”, one of the record’s best, then pairs Arman’s eloquent singing with a gently strummed acoustic guitar.
“Too Late To Write A Love Song” arrives near the end and flows with rural melodies that nearly seem therapeutic, and “Problems Of My Own” exits the listen with spoken word mixed into the bare, vulnerable finish.
Arman takes help on strings, bass, pedal steel, drums and backing vocals, however it’s all used sparingly but effectively. The focus of the listen is certainly her inimitable pipes and agile acoustic guitar, and the melancholic, deeply personal and often intimate song craft hints at the greatness achieved by legends like Cash, Parton and Nelson. As far as debuts go, it just doesn’t get much better than this.
Travels well with: Riley Downing- Start It Over; Jamie Wyatt- Neon Cross