ROUTES & BRANCHES
featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
September 24, 2024
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
We announced Sophie Gault's Baltic Street Hotel back before the launch of the year, with an April street date and an excellent advance single in "Fixin' Things". Heck, we were even granted access to an early download by the time the promotional cycle pulled to the curb and it was shared that Gault's second solo record would actually be released in September. So talk about eagerly anticipated!
Under the name Sophie & the Broken Things, 2022's Delusions Of Grandeur was exceptionally well-received here at R&B HQ, landing among our favorite records for the year. At that time, part of Gault's origin story spoke of a bit of well-timed mentorship from producer Ray Kennedy who encouraged the Nashville songwriter at a time when she was considering abandoning her dream. Kennedy continues his support on her sophomore full-length, stepping into the producer's seat and lending Baltic Street Hotel the texture and sound of a long-established artist.
Sophie Gault has built this new collection around her reality of living with bipolar disorder, a story she begins on the decidedly non-tinselly "Christmas In the Psych Ward" (though I believe we did include the song on last year's holiday playlist, given that it did prominently feature the word Christmas). This morning I threw up all the lithium they gave me, Gault sings above jangling electric guitars, her delivery both sweet and tough. Playing a plywood guitar and humored by the staff and residents, she dreams of unleashing her tunes on the world outside. Spoiler: Gault is released, and has seemingly developed strategies for navigating her world, challenging enough without a diagnosis.
"Fixin' Things" is a fierce roots rocker, recorded live to tape by Gault and her band. Josh Grange's guitar is raw and blatant as the singer atones for her shortcomings: Been a hot mess, been a bad look / Been a worn out book that you've read before / Been an old dress, zipper got stuck / Worth about five bucks at the thrift store. The cohort accelerate confidently into Lucinda Williams' bluesy rock lane for "Jealousy", a rollicking slide guitar setting the pace. "Kick the Devil Away" features supporting vocals from a Choir Of Angels, a cadre of industry friends like Lilly Hiatt and Jon Latham who swung by the studio to bolster a few tracks. One of the record's sharpest hooks, the song rocks with a pop appeal that Sophie Gault seems to conjure at will.
The buoyant chorus of "Kick the Devil" raises the repeated question, Are you alright, something that's asked throughout Baltic Street Hotel both literally and figuratively. Hey, are you okay? / I've been calling all night / Thinking about you all day, she sings on the tender "Over & Out", revealing concern for a friend, but also requesting patience for her own struggles: I'm only doing / Things the best way I know how / Trying to figure it out / Don't give up on me now. Siobhan Kenendy contributes her soulful backing vocals throughout, and Josh Grange lays a thick electric guitar over the song's dreamy arrangement. "Lately" plays out as a prickly conversation between estranged lovers, a country pop ballad with Gabe Lee playing opposite Gault: You know it still gets to me, the way it all went down, she sings. Lee counters, If I could I'd do it differently, followed by Gault's brush-off: It's easy to say that now.
"Lately" also serves as one of several showcases for Sophie Gault's best-in-class singing, a comfortably human instrument that is also capable of some heavenly passages. With a slow vibrato like Lucinda (with clearer annunciation), she can also rock brashly like Sheryl Crow, or drop a touch of soul like Margo Price. Gault's single cover, a run through Patty Griffin's early "Every Little Bit" is revelatory, shot through with drama and spite. The reckless "Poet In a Buick" provides a twang rock vehicle for her, the story of an edgy outlaw friendship with a guy who smelled like a pack of Camels & some winterfresh gum.
Baltic Street Hotel closes by taking refuge in little pleasures, declaring "Things Are Going Good". Hurry up and knock on wood, she advises on the beautiful ode to gratitude: This is right where I belong. Sophie Gault sounds confident and capable on her long-awaited second project, pairing with producer Ray Kennedy and their small band for a set that proves the victories of Gault's debut won't be short-lived.
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