Mac Cornish Wayfaring Woman
On her second album, Wayfaring Woman, Mac Cornish blends folk and country in Nashville, TN, while drawing on her California background.
Cornish writes about heartbreak, exhaustion, and leaving behind the future she once expected. She also explores what suits her life now, with a few tracks focused on touring.
Her sound began near the Santa Cruz Mountains, where her parents’ records led her to Laurel Canyon artists. The album mixes old-school country, folk, and West Coast rock, with hints of Linda Ronstadt’s delivery, Gram Parsons’ restless spirit, and the Bakersfield honky-tonk style of Buck Owens.
The record was made at the Bomb Shelter in Nashville. Andrija Tokic produced, engineered, and mixed it, and John Baldwin mastered it.
The players include Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather), Dennis Crouch (The Time Jumpers), Dave Racine (Braxton Keith, Jim Lauderdale), Julian Doro (The Whigs, Eagles of Death Metal), and Russ Pahl.
Entry points on the album include the title track, a track vaguely reminiscent of Judy Collins because of Cornish’s exquisite phrasing and delicious inflected timbres. The flow of the song is just right: simple and easy, with a light tapping rhythm.
There’s a suggestion of Patsy Cline running through “Alone,” a drifting country song dripping with sad, forlorn colors. A crying steel guitar and low, oozing organ enhance the desolate sensation of the melody.
A personal favorite because of its wonderfully expressive lyrics, “I Fear (It’s Becoming Clear)” conveys the thoughts of a woman scorned: “For now I see reality / A fickle man’s no good for me / But I still fear / It’s becoming clear / You don’t have eyes for me, my dear.”
On “Lover of Mine,” Cornish offers a twangy, measured song riding a waltz-like rhythm. A sparkling piano, plump bassline, and weeping steel guitar form the sonic foundation of the traditional melody.
“Good Old Day (Don’t’ Last),” a stripped-down track, allows Cornish to show the emotional range of her voice. It’s a sad, wistful song, but oh-so evocative and beautifully nuanced, especially when an organ appears, adding poignant depth.
With Wayfaring Woman, Mac Cornish confirms her bona fides as a folk/country singer-songwriter. She’s at her best on slow, emotionally lost songs.
Discover more about Mac Cornish here.
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Mac Cornish “Never Made Much of a Lover“