ROUTES & BRANCHES
featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
May 27, 2021
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
We are made up of stories. We define ourselves to others (and internally) by the stories we tell where we are the hero or the victim, whether we're Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf or the Huntsman. As we grow up, the stories we hear are essential as we gradually develop a sense of our place in the world. Sounds pretty straightforward until you throw trauma into the mix.
Those who have experienced trauma will often choose to keep it hid, even if that secret story greatly influences the way they define themselves. In many cases, the potential stigma of sharing their ordeal with others may mean that story is simply never told.
Allison Russell is a storyteller. Russell brought her stories to Po' Girl with Trish Klein. She has delivered alongside her partner JT Nero in Birds of Chicago. And she stood among Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah and Leyla McCalla in the groundbreaking Our Native Daughters project. In her first solo record, Outside Child, Russell presents her most intensely personal collection to date, singing about growing up in Montreal, experiencing harrowing abuse at the hands of her family, and triumphing over despair and defeat.
With its understated jazz tones, "Montreal" serves as a Prelude, setting the stage in anticipation of what's to come and introducing the city as a player in those stories: Your shadows felt like loving arms / I was your child, Montreal / You would not let me come to harm. It's the dark city into which the young Allison flees from the abuse of her adoptive father. Like any effective storyteller, Russell paints a complete picture, a bold achievement given the circumstances: I'm each of his steps on the stairway / I'm his shadow in the door frame / I'm the tap-tap of a lunar moth. A choir of voices joins the singer on the chorus of the slow simmering "Nightflyer", backed by keys and a spare acoustic guitar. Throughout Outside Child, however, Allison Russell speaks to redemption as often as she acknowledges the nightmare: His soul is trapped in that room / But I crawled back in my mother's womb / Came back out with my gold and my greens / Now I see everything.
As with her work in Birds of Chicago and elsewhere, Outside Child is a wide-ranging affair, reaching from folk and soul to gospel and country. The multi-instrumentalist is joined on this journey by producer/guitarist Dan Knobler, Yola, Erin Rae, JT Nero and others. Even linguistically, lyrics morph fluidly from English to French though we're rarely left without a trail of breadcrumbs that leads back to the heart of Russell's story. "Hy-Brasil" weaves a Celtic-accented spell, while "4th Day Prayer" sets a playground rhyme-like verse to the heartbeat of a drum and organ: Father used me like a wife / Mother turned the blindest eye. This is no easy listening, though Russell's ensemble provides some truly joyous moments while navigating the minefield.
Allison Russell is a peerless singer, with a voice capable of both breaking hearts and uplifting souls. The country-informed "Persephone" is one of the year's most worthy singles, ringing out like a newfound Be Good Tanyas cut. With clarinet and pedal steel, the song follows the narrator as she flees from her abuser and into the arms of a friend: My petals are bruised but I'm still a flower / Come running to you in the violet hour. There's also great magic in the rock 'n pop of "The Runner". Joined by Yola, Russell sings of finding escape and deliverance in music. It's almost a cinematic moment as told by the singer: Then I heard that rock 'n roll / Outside the South Hill Candy Store / Felt myself walking in / I was above me, I was standing right beside me / And I saw my deliverance.
At the time of this writing, Allison Russell has just been announced among the Americana Honors & Awards Nominee for Emerging Act of the Year. My personal feelings about these awards aside, I wouldn't disagree that Outside Child is deserving of tremendous praise. There are few if any other albums that strike this balance so successfully, from the frankness of her trauma to the absolute triumph and redemption that glimmers throughout her music.
You'll want to spend some time with a recent New York Times story, in which Russell casts light on her perspective: Bigotry and abuse are intergenerational traumas. It's not just my story. As she sings in "4th Day Prayer": From the coast of Africa / To the hills of Grenada / To the cold of Montreal / That whip still falls. There is such bravery inherent not just in telling this story, but in Russell embracing it as part of her identity. The project closes on the spare but radiant "Joyful Motherfuckers": Where in the world are the joyful motherfuckers / The fearless lovers, the rainbow shooters / The wild acceptors, the hopeful sinners / The gentle teachers, the true forgivers. Joined by her partner JT Nero, it's the perfect moment to closer a perfect record, a suitable Epilogue to an undeniably powerful story.
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Shifting our gaze now to A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster, I wonder if at the end of the year we'll regard May as The Month That Saved 2021. So many good releases, in addition to so much good stuff being added to our calendar. On July 16, f'rinstance, Nathaniel Rateliff releases the accurately titled Red Rocks 2020 (Live). On the Stax label, the album presents live takes on music from throughout the Colorado resident's career, delivered to the empty seats of the state's iconic venue. Jesse Daniel's Rollin' On from last year served as a great intro to a worthy artist. His followup, Beyond These Walls (Die True, July 30) features work alongside members of Willie Nelson's band, George Strait's band and Raul Malo. Country music legend Connie Smith returns on August 20 with Cry of the Heart. On the Fat Possum label, the album is produced by her husband and collaborator, Marty Stuart. On the other end of the spectrum, we've added the full-length debut of Summer Dean to our release calendar. Bad Romantic follows up on the Texas singer's promising 2016 Unladylike EP. Finally, save some space for the next record from Jason Eady. To the Passage of Time appears wherever music matters on August 27.
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