Geography
Self-Released, 2021
9/10
This first album from the Oklahoma songstress Rigby Summer finds the artist looking back on pivotal moments of her life and the places that she’s traveled, and she delivers her songs with much forthrightness, an incredible amount of sincerity, and a timelessness that resonates on an admirable emotional level.
The very dreamy “The Weight (Unrequited)” starts the listen with twinkling guitar that welcomes Summer’s poetic and warm vocals, and this formula continues to the breezy melodies of the stirring “Hold On”, as well as the bluegrass influenced “Kentucky”, where playful strings align with the diverse singing.
In the middle, “Delaware, California” showcases Summer’s stunning pipes in a bare, sublime setting, while “Rearview Mirror” recruits graceful piano for the soaring balladry that’s full of eloquent storytelling.
Speaking of pianos, “Buy Me A Piano” arrives late in the disc, but actually benefits from folksy strumming as glowing pedal steel complements the mesmerizing album highlight, and “Gibson Guitar” exits the listen with a very pretty version of Americana that allows Summer’s powerful songwriting to illuminate the charming love song.
Even though this is Summer’s debut, she’s been writing music for 15 years, and there were 30 songs in contention for Geography. Seeing as how every track here is nothing short of gripping, let’s hope those outtakes surface on future recordings.
Travels well with: Riddy Arman- Riddy Arman; Josie Bello- Have Purpose Live Long