Willow Avalon Pink Pocket Pistol
After introducing her spitfire self to the country music world on last year’s Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell, Willow Avalon is back, not even 18 months later, with another brand-new full-length. And while Southern Belle was a straight-up, modern country record with pop appeal (in a good way), Pink Pocket Pistol digs back into an older, 60s-influenced sound, with strings, horns, and all manner of mood – evidence that Avalon is here for the long haul.
Now just because the music is deeper doesn’t mean that Avalon has gone all serious on us. The singer who uttered “If you two time this little lady/You’re going to see a long line of family crazy” last year has not dulled her tongue one whit. The western gothic title track, which leads off the record, has Avalon swallowing her naivete – “If ignoring all the warning signs was a game/You know I’d win” – to dispose of a rotten lover with the titular weapon without telling a soul – “But I held onto my silence/And a sliver of my pride.” Heathen himbos are a near-bottonless source of material for the singer, whether it’s the man baby featured on the pedal-steel driven “Work to Do” – “You’re so full of shit/That your britches don’t fit/And your mama is the only one that likes ya” – or the freeloader in the perkily downbeat “Raining Inside.” But Avalon asserts her own backwoods bonafides on “Hickest Woman.” The most danceable song on the record has her trading barbs with mainstream country stars Midland – “All my ex-lovers swear I’m batshit crazy/At least one of them is probably right.” Crazy, perhaps, but she’s also absolutely independent – “I ain’t the kind of girl you’re used to/No heels, just bell-bottoms and boots.” Retro stylings or not, there’s no trad wife to be found here!
The second half of Pink Pocket Pistol delves into the emotional toll that all the busted relationships leave behind. While some still carry the hallmark Avalon sass – particularly the Kaitlin Butts-guesting murder rave-up “Hypothetically Speaking,” which dishes out joyful justice via cast-iron skillet – it’s “Cardinal Sin” that sticks out as a mood-altering song. Starting with strings and a pensive guitar riff, this big, retro D-I-V-O-R-C-E tune has both Avalon and guest Jason Isbell playing the role of heartbreaker – Isbell’s line, “I ran into your friends/To them, I’m as good as dead,” is a tabloid-worthy attention grabber all on its own. But it’s Avalon’s confessional tone that carries the burden – “Your sister swore I was trouble/Now I’m here drinkin’ doubles/As I set fire to our wedding vows” – as a reminder how much is lost (by both halves) when a relationship dissolves. The emotional maturity that the character is painfully discovering is one that Avalon has seemingly already realized, making her songwriting even more potent.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Willy Won’t” – This old-school honky-tonker has Avalon sifting through the bargain bin – “My Daddy always told me to listen to my gut/And my gut’s got words for you/It’s ‘shut the fuck up’” – and finding nothing but excellent pedal steel and fiddle.
Go here to order/stream Pink Pocket Pistol (out June 26):
https://store.warnermusic.com/collections/willow-avalon
https://willowavalon.lnk.to/pinkpocketpistol
Check out tour dates here: https://www.willowavalonmusic.com/tour
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Willow Avalon “Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell”
The album was produced by Konrad Snyder, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, and Willow Avalon; mixed by Konrad Snyder; and mastered by Adam Grover. It was recorded at RCA Studio A in Nashville, TN.
Musicians on the album are Willow on acoustic guitar, vocals, keys, organ and background vocals; Aksel Coe on drums and percussion; Miles Waldman on bass and mellotron; Max Thomas on electric and 12 string guitar; Matt Combs on strings; Lera Lynn on whistle and background vocals; Todd Lombardo on acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, mandolin and piano; Russ Pahl on pedal steel and jew harp; Jordan Lehning on celeste; Dave Nelson on horns; Mark Wystrach on featured vocals; Madi Diaz, Jess Carson, Tim Murphy, Max Thomas, David Nikunen, Cameron Duddy, Carrie K, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Aksel Coe, Jon Estes and Konrad Snyder on background vocals; Grady Block on acoustic guitar; Jon Estes on bass and organ; Carrie K on dobro and drums; Marcus King on electric guitar; Billy Justineau on keys and organ; string arrangement by Jordan Lehning; Alicia Enstrom, Annaliese Kowert, Betsy Lamb, and Emily Rogers on strings; Kaitlin Butts on vocals; and Jason Isbell on vocals.