Lawrence Rothman – The Plow That Broke the Plains
Lawrence Rothman was a mess. You wouldn’t know it simply by glancing at the roster of artists the multiskilled producer and songwriter has worked with – Angel Olsen, Amanda Shires, Margo Price and Soccer Mommy are just a few highlights. But as gender identity, body dysmorphia and anorexia all led to a Tennessee hospital stint, Rothman realized that their current path (which had them, at one point, weighing in at 129 pounds) was not sustainable, or even livable. A return to their LA home became an impromptu writing session and, eventually, led to the recording of Rothman’s third album, The Plow That Broke the Plains. The producer who has so often helped artists tease out their best work now has friends and fellow artists assisting Rothman in an even bigger mission – finding health and healing in their own songs.
The genesis of The Plow That Broke the Plains is “LAX.” Bolstered by strings and vocals from Amanda Shires, the song has its beginning in the titular airport – “I saw my face in that airport bathroom mirror/And I didn’t recognize myself or what I had become.” But it’s the reason for their gaunt appearance – downing laxatives in a quest to stay unnaturally thin – that put Rothman in that hospital and frightened them enough to change – “Just skeletal remains of who I used to be/That scared me straight out of the hell that I’d been running from.” It’s the emotional crux of the record, but it’s not the only change found here. “Yesterday Tomorrow” leads off The Plow That Broke the Plains with ethereal vocals, piano and Rothman eschewing nostalgia in order to re-find themself – “Another day older/I’m out of time/I look back over my shoulder/There’s nothing left to find.”
Sonically, this is very much a country album. Pedal steel, slide guitar and banjo are dappled across songs like ”Dreams Die Hard” and “Reckless Flame.” The title track is a lovely ballad full of old-school sentiment – “I ain’t afraid of losing my mind for a while/The only thing I’m afraid to lose is you.” And mid-tempo honky-tonker “Twin Flames” contains a classic country conundrum – “Gettin’ stuck between the love I need and the thought of someone else.” But what separates The Plow That Broke the Plains is Rothman’s openness with topics you won’t find on your FM dial. “Poster Child,” penned with Jason Isbell (also featured on guitar) is a funky slice of cynicism that satirically portrays Rothman leveraging their (very true) story for cheap clicks – “I got jumped outside the Three of Clubs, showered bullets across my ear drum, can we use that?” Rothman deftly threads the needle between confession and commerce when they sing “Sell them a share of your heart/You’re the face of the state of the art.” But it gets both undeniably personal and sadly universal (especially to the LGBTQ world) on the next track. “R. Blood,” a bluesy number, featuring S.G. Goodman, portrays the worst aspects of living in the slow-to-change South – “How do you sleep when there’s families you’ve torn/Livin’ in some fairytale world…Their blood is on your crosses.” After railing against political leaders, the ultra-rich and a certain compromised Supreme Court justice, Rothman pauses to ask what’s left of the American ideal – ”Who will restore our soul?” Probably not the folks that Rothman mentions in this song. But then again, if they were to address their demons as honesty as Rothman has their own, who knows?
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Doesn’t Look Like That” – Gorgeous pedal steel, piano, Rothman’s rich voice and an explanation of how love does (and doesn’t) work – this big ol’ ballad should be a HUGE country radio hit…but we all know why it won’t be.
The Plow That Broke the Plains was produced by Lawrence Rothman and Yves Rothman
Go here to order The Plow That Broke the Plains (out April 26): https://stores.portmerch.com/lawrencerothman/
Check out tour dates here: https://www.lawrencerothman.com/shows
