Today's area of interest: Queens of Alt-Country.
The first three are probably the easiest: Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch. They're well known. They have an impeccable body of work. You would be hard pressed to find someone who dislikes any one of them.
Naming that last artist is a bit trickier. Lucinda Williams comes to mind. She could probably earn the spot on the strength of Car Wheel on a Gravel Road alone. We can't forget Patty Griffin. Her gift as a songwriter is well-documented. She has also gotten better on her own right with each passing album. Personally I thought she blew Emmylou Harris off the stage when I saw them play together a couple of summers back. No disrespect to Emmylou, Griffin is just that good. Neko Case's name could legitimately get thrown out there. She too has an impeccable back catalogue and as a bonus is an icon of sorts in the indie world.
These are all good nominees but I offer up to you Tift Merritt. And why not?
The fact that she's not a first balloter alongside Harris, Krauss, and Welch is beyond me. She was poised to be huge. I'm proof positive that she was the right voice that came at the right time to make as broad as splash as the aforementioned artists.
The soundtrack to the film O Brother Where Art Thou? was released in late 2000. Critics and consumers alike loved it. It spawned a roots revival that saw a spike of interest in distinctly American music that had been flying outside of the mainstream for far too long. I too was smitten. And it was the tracks featuring the voices of Harris, Krauss, and Welch that opened me up to the world of modern alt-country. (We'll set aside the question of whether the term "alt-country" is even remotely appropriate for now.) The genre's moment had arrived. I and the rest of the record buying public was ready. So it wasn't a huge surprise to see the debut album by the newest voice in this movement featured in a circular for Best Buy: Bramble Rose by Tift Merritt. I don't recall if I ever listened to it before purchasing it. I probably didn't. She had the right pedigree. (If you like Gillian Welch and Wilco you'll love Tift Merritt.) That was enough for me. It should have been enough for the rest of the nation as well.
Everything about about Bramble Rose and its 2004 follow-up Tambourine made Merritt right for both critical and mainstream success. Those albums were big, bold, and bright. They straddled the line between country and rock. They were catchy but never generically so. You never questioned her accessibility but there was an ineffable authenticity to them that made you feel like you were in the know. Yet mass success never came.
Albums three and four found Merritt pulling back the reigns a bit. Gone was the Memphis soul of "U Turn" and "Stray Paper". Also gone were radio baiting tracks like "Virginia, No One Can Warn You". Another Country and See You on the Moon found Merritt moving to a more introspective place. They turned down the volume for nuanced works tracing the steps of our daily dance between individualism and community, between love and loss, between brokenness and hope. These were the nuanced piece of works that solidified Merritt's place as an artiste. For those of us following her closely we knew she would be around for a long time.
This brings us to Traveling Alone. Traveling Alone is an apotheosis of sorts. Early Merritt was (strangely) compared to Lucinda Williams. Later Merritt has been compared to Emmylou Harris. These comparisons are meant to be complimentary. They're meant to speak to the considerable skill and staying power of Merritt the singer and Merritt the writer. I'd be the first to admit that the Harris comparisons are especially apt these days. In her early days, Merritt's strategy was to blow you out of the room with her voice and rollicking tunes. Today she's someone comfortable and confident enough to seduce you with simply a voice sans diva-like hysteria. The minimalism of "Small Town Relations" would devour a lesser artist. Merritt on the other hand pulls back before stepping forward to assert herself in defiance allowing her carry herself above the carnage of relationships destroying each other. Her willingness to lay herself bare with just an acoustic guitar or piano backing her and devastate us in the process is certainly Emmylou-esque.
This isn't to say Merritt has gone coffee shop on us. Her band is big and powerful. Recorded quickly it captures the immediacy of the live show. "Still Not Home" is probably the most rock-oriented track of her career. Her slight North Carolina twang is about the only remnant of modern alternative country. Beyond that the electric guitar licks and propulsive drums drive the track forward. Early single "Sweet Spot" earns its honor by hooking its way into your ear with a catchy country jangle and sing along feel complete with promises of "looking for that sweet spot" and to "turn the radio on". At a brisk 2:51, it never overstays its welcome but leaves you wanting more in the best way possible.
On the other hand, these comparisons are not fair. Why should Merritt settle on being the next X. Why not let her be the first Tift Merritt. If it was not already clear, Traveling Alone brings it all into sharp focus. Tift Merritt is as brave and bold of a voice in music today, alt-country or otherwise. Traveling Alone deserves your attention.
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