Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and author Mary Gauthier releases her haunting new album, Reckoning.
Reckoning gives voice to Mary’s optimism. She explains, “My sense is that we’re going to get through this. The snake is going to eat its tail. We make decisions, and 25-30 years later, they come to their conclusion, and there’s that moment of reckoning.”
Reckoning was made at Skinny Elephant Recording in Nashville and Cedar Creek Studio in Austin, Texas. Neilson Hubbard, Dylan Alldredge, and Mark Hallman produced the record. Gauthier sings and plays guitar and harmonica, with backing vocals. Michele Gazich adds viola, and Cole Hubbard plays harmonica on “Judgment Day.”
The album brings a sense of hope to a troubled time. Its songs tell clear, focused stories about people facing turning points and making choices that shape their own lives and the world around them. After nine albums, this may be Gauthier’s strongest and most meaningful release yet.
Not to be missed tracks on the album include “Alcohol and Adderall,” a song reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s finest work: resonant with echoes of stark memories and a strange kind of wistfulness. Gauthier’s weathered voice conveys a variety of emotions: loneliness, regret, affection, and longing.
On “Judgment Day,” Gauthier’s vocals are tighter and rawer, revealing rasping textures. The song is darker, thicker, and more religious:
“Jesus are you with me now? / Gunshots broken glass and screaming / Oh God I am too young to die / But I will look you in the eye / I’ll trust in what Jesus will say, on Judgment Day.”
A braying organ and distant rumbling drums make the title track hum with ever-increasing intensity. The mood and feeling of the melody convey the feeling of an accounting, one that’s been due for a long time. The scales need to be balanced.
“Black Ice” slows things down with low-slung tones, a trickling guitar, and Gauthier’s wonderfully evocative voice. A lonesome harmonica elevates the mournful sensation of the song. A simple song, it’s remarkable how profound the emotions it unearths in listeners.
A personal favorite, “Gone” tells a tale of heartache, a lover who left, but whose presence still lingers, eliciting sadness.
“You rest inside the rhythm of my breathing / You’re anchored to the marrow of my bones / Deeper than doubt or disbelieving / It’s a year now, you’ve been gone.”
Reckoning finds Mary Gauthier mastering Americana, reaching into the depths of her being and revealing her soul.
Discover more about Mary Gauthier here: https://www.marygauthier.com
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Mary Gauthier “Dark Enough To See The Stars”