STACK #197 Mar 2021

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Middle Kids Today We're The Greatest “Hope is an underrated word.” So starts Middle Kids’ eagerly awaited second album, a record that invites the listener into the band’s inner sanctum, exposing their insecurities and vulnerability. “Do not ignore me,” Hannah Joy pleads in R U 4 Me? , and it’s impossible when the songs are this strong. Of course, music is a never- ending, circuitous journey – as Joy notes in Cellophane (Brain) , “Hey, when did you realise there’s no guy with a first prize waiting at the end?” But in the moment, when you’re listening to a song that’s transporting you someplace else, well, that song and that band means everything. Nothing else matters. Today we’re the greatest. And you can’t hope for more. (EMI/Universal) Jeff Jenkins

Pete Murray The Night

In June 2020, singer-songwriter Pete Murray released Found My Place , his first new single in three years – and his first co-write, with Toronto musician/songwriter Gavin Slate. The song's message of contentment and optimism is mirrored by the other three songs that accompany it on this new, four-track EP. An intelligent songwriter and arranger, Murray shows preference for acoustic guitars, piano, and vocal harmonies; his restrained vocals capture the essence of these introspective songs. Inspired by his musical mentors that include Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Nick Drake, Murray's ethic that less can often be more is on full display on this impressive release. (Sony) Billy Pinnell

Troy Cassar-Daley The World Today

Like all of us, Troy Cassar-Daley did it pretty tough in 2020. Also, he was dealing with his dad’s death as well as some marital issues. And then the pandemic struck. Unable to provide for his family, the country star felt hopeless. But music saved him. “Against all odds, I still believe,” he declares on his 11th studio album,

though it remains a fragile balancing act. “Sometimes I’m hopeless,” he adds in Broken Hearts Can Fly , “then I’m a king.” Cassar-Daley has crafted a record that addresses both the personal and the political, with songs that are heartfelt and true. “What are you going to do for the world today?” he asks in the title track, a hymn of healing and hope in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. And he calls for unity in Back On Country : “No matter what your bloodlines, we belong to this land... You might be black, you could be white, but come and join the choir.” Cassar-Daley is one of our biggest country stars, but he has broadened his sound. The World Today – which features co-writes with Paul Kelly, Don Walker, Shane Howard, Ian Moss and Kevin Bennett – owes as much to the bluesy working-class rock of Springsteen and Chisel as it does traditional country. As he sings, “Our many tribes all come together here.” (Sony) Jeff Jenkins

Loretta Lynn Still Woman Enough 2021 is going to be a big year for country music legend Loretta Lynn. She’ll be turning 89 in April, and shows no sign of slowing down just yet. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of her Coal Miner's Daughter album, the release of Loretta Lynn: My Story In My Words (the documentary of her rags-to-riches career), and the release of her 50th solo studio album, Still Woman Enough . Celebrating women in country music, it features new and old songs with some of her favourite female singers: Margo Price, Tanya Tucker, Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire. (Sony) Denise Hylands

Steve Earle & The Dukes J.T. Steve Earle has previously paid tribute to good friends and mentors who have passed, like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, performing albums of their songs. Earle’s own son Justin Townes Earle tragically passed away in August of last year. He was from the spotlight of his father. Heartbroken, here Earle pays tribute to his son by dedicating an album to JTE’s songs. J.T. is a celebration of the great songwriter he was, and of course, Earle &The Dukes do every track justice. Says Earle, “I made the record because I needed to. It was the only way I knew to say goodbye." (NewWest Records) Denise Hylands an incredible talent and had paved his own career, away

Tash Sultana Terra Firma

Sia MUSIC - Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture It’s impossible to entirely separate a soundtrack from its film, especially when the film caught so much heat for its portrayal of autism. Ironically, where Sia got into trouble trying to boldly tell a story with the film, the soundtrack feels a bit conventional. But if Music feels like it has some of her past work’s bolder edges shorn off, it’s in service of its cinematic scope, rousing climactic choruses jutting high above troughs of despair and doubt. Sia’s music has always been, in some colloquial sense, cinematic, but when literally structuring her songs like it, Sia makes IMAX scope look easy. (Warner) Jake Cleland

It’s an extraordinary story. Tash Sultana went from busking in Melbourne to charting all around the world. And it took a toll. “They only give a sh-t when you make it big,” Sultana notes in G reed , “and that ain’t good for my mental health.” Sultana realises it’s “the simple things” that matter and you have to keep your feet on the ground – terra firma. “Where you goin’ so fast?” Sultana asks in Pretty Lady . “Try to make a moment last.” Sultana opens up to collaboration on this second album, writing three songs with Dann Hume and Matt Corby, while WillowTree features Jerome Farah, and Dream My Life Away features Josh Cashman. The result is quite a trip – a cruisy, cosmic collection. (Lonely Lands/ Sony) Jeff Jenkins

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