There's an urgent sense of transformation, and the nerve to meet it head-on, that give this recording a bracing, epic quality. No one else in the genre abandons themselves to their songs in quite this way. Kate McDonnell sings as if her life depends on it - and maybe it does. The title track begins in fury and recrimination, and ends in a reconnection with the basic elements of life, and that describes the arc of this recording. Produced by Scott Petito.
Every track here feels grounded in truth, and necessary to the whole picture.
This is great. On top of that, she makes me howl with laughter. Her songwriting and guitar style are exquisite. Production leaves guitar and vocal up front. Her themes weave through true love and pain, self-destruction and redemption.