Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Record of the Month

I figured I'd do a monthly 'what I'm listening to' kind of thing. This could be viewed as a lame placeholder kind of post. And probably it is. But it's my blog! So there! 



It's actually been a few months since I did one of these. 2022 wasn't spectacular for my purchases. 2023 already has a half dozen releases slated to be released in the next few months. Including this month. 

Last week, Iris DeMent released her first disk in eight years with Workin' on a World

If you have never heard of her, you've never heard her. To say her voice is unique would be an understatement and it probably takes some getting used to. If you ever heard her, you'd remember - the voice is that distinctive. Raised in Arkansas, she brings out the Ozarks like no one's business. I've been listening to her for over 30 years. 

DeMent always has something to say. Her songs are not frivolous. They have meaning, they have weight. She sometimes ask questions for which she has no answers. 

The work evokes spiritualism yet without g-d. It's the voice. It's the upbringing. DeMent has always brought a sense of that in her music and it is no different here. Much like earlier works ("The Way I Should" or "Wasteland of the Free"), she challenges social standings - be it guns or police brutality. 

Workin' is a long disk. Over an hour of music and the songs are longer than her usual fare, but worth it. 

She writes great music and her voice conveys it. I get, at first, it's hard to listen to. It takes some getting use to. If you stick with it and listen to what she's singing, you'll get how she sings and why the two work together. 

So far, 2023 starts with a good disk. At least in my eyes.......and ears. 

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