Rachel Brooke

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The Loneliness In Me

Mal, 2020

8/10

Listen to The Loneliness In Me

The Michigan country songstress Rachel Brooke returns with an album where she channels the golden era of Nashville’s history with a delivery that parallels the timelessness of legends like Cash, Nelson, Lynn and Wynette. A listen with all originals, Brooke brings her inimitable vocals and banjo and acoustic guitar skills to a very authentic experience that includes plenty of help, including her husband, Brooks Robbins.

Brooke starts the listen with the warm and aching “It Ain’t Over ‘Til You’re Crying”, where her pipes contain the perfect mix of twang and beauty in the poetic delivery of classic country flavor, and “Great Mistake” follows with a light shuffling appeal where the crisp melodies might get you on the dance floor.

Further along, “Picture On The Wall” finds a romantic place to reside with light keys and soaring vocals, while “It Won’t Be Long” recruits subtle bluegrass nods into the intimate climate. “The Lovealls Stockade Blues”, an album highlight, then displays incredible fiddle acrobatics alongside playful percussion and Brooke’s versatile pipes.

Closer to the end, “The Awful Parts Of Me” is a string friendly and highly elegant adventure, and “I Miss It Like It’s Gone” exits the listen on the more bare side of the equation, where a nearly gospel presence enters the sophisticated landscape.

While it’s certainly not always the most uplifting listen, lyrically, historically that’s always been a trademark of country music, as Brooke and company touch on the human experience with Americana, blues and folk moments in this very inviting record.

Travels well with: Bonnie Whitmore- Last Will & Testament; Dale Ann Bradley- The Hard Way