Lynne Hanson
Just Words
Jan Hall of Folk Roots Radio dubbed Ottawa-based Lynne
Hanson, “Canada’s own queen of Americana.” Wish I had said that! Hanson is my favorite
kind of female vocalist: one with a low voice who sings effortlessly and has no
need for affected coolness. Just Words, her 7th
studio recording, makes it easy to understand why Hanson has won two Canadian Folk
Music awards, two Acoustic Project alt-country awards, and raves from all who
have heard her.
Ironically, she’s not really a folk or a country artist. You’ll
hear those influences in her music, but you’ll also hear splashes of rock and big
waves of the blues. Her voice will put you in mind of a blend of artists such
as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lucinda Williams, and Mary Gauthier. Think Carpenter’s
silky controlled contralto, Williams’ toughness, and Gauthier’s sense of
detached resignation. Fittingly, “True Blue Moon,” the album’s single release, tells
of a romantic dalliance with a poet that the narrator knows cannot last: Forever
is for diamonds/And for poets like you/Happy ever lasts as long/As a rainbow in
June/I’ve tried to pretend/This story won’t end/But they always do…. If
that’s not resignation enough for you, “Lollipops and Roses” implores: When
I die won’t you bury me/With lollipops and roses next to me/Cause I’ve been riding
this bitter train so long/I’m in need of something sweet….
Hanson knows that good art and pain are a better fit than most
of us are comfortable in contemplating. Her “Long Way Home” reflects upon heartbreak’s
detritus–loneliness, booze, losing track of time–but is also a veiled commentary
on her own 8-year struggle to stay sober. You have to have been kicked around a
few times to muse on such things. For-real living is one of many things that
makes Just Words a mature album whose highs and lows ring true. “HigherGround” is swampy and bluesy song with a bit of backwoods gospel peeking
through the leaves: I’ve been a lover/I’ve been a leaver/I lacked faith/Been
a true believer/What I learned/You wanna get to heaven/Gotta take the higher
ground. “Every Minute In Between” is a reminder that the lower ground is usually
the path for a broken heart. The title track is equally unvarnished–a look at how
hard it is for girls to get past paternal and social expectations.
Hanson shines both as a solo artist and as a band animal, and
who could not love the name of her frequent ensemble: The Good Intentions? As a singer, Hanson is the real deal. Watch
her carefully in this video for “Clean Slate.” It is, first of all, a memorable
mishmash melody of folk, pop, and Americana that exemplifies why it’s hard to categorize
her music. More significantly, observe how she moves from verse to chorus. The
transition is so seamlessly smooth that it takes a moment to notice the
increased power of the latter.
Call Just Words an album that hurts so good. Use
those last two words to describe Lynne Hanson.
Rob Weir
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