Though they recorded it well in advance, I doubt we’ll hear a song that speaks for post-election America better than this album’s opener, “Further On.” The lyrics’ message is simple—“I thought we’d be further on than this”—and while it states the dashed hopes that many of us are feeling, it comes down that much stronger on the case for peace, love and understanding. This is all put across by Kimberly Kaye and Michael Cerveris of Loose Cattle, joining voices in an uplifting chorus hook, and by Rurik Nunan’s fiddle doing its best impression of a scorching lead guitar. It’s nominally country music, yet it embodies the spirit of punk rock as well as anything I’ve heard in eons.
And that pretty much goes for the entire album. This is also something of a watershed album for Loose Cattle: In the past they were more or less about personalizing classic country and pop material with a subversive twist (as they did on their Christmas album Seasonal Affective Disorder, which I’ve come to love dearly since its 2017 release). But their own writing (all but three songs) takes the forefront this time, and they’ve grown from their original noir-country approach into something far more rocking. Leaders Kaye and Cerveris—who’ve been creative partners forever and pro singers for longer—have refined their vocal interplay quite a bit; it’s a case of two very different singing styles complementing each other beautifully.
The songs don’t shy away from making explicit statements. The story song “Cheneyville,” sung movingly by Cerveris, takes restrictive abortion laws to a tragic, and sadly feasible conclusion. “Before We Begin” includes George Floyd in a list of martyrs to be honored. On a more personal level, “Here’s That Attention You Ordered” is about a man who made an unwelcome sexual advance on Kaye. In a nutshell, she gets even.
But there are also a lot of purely musical pleasures to be found here; and having a joined-at-the-hip rhythm section (the Iguanas team of Rene Coman and Doug Garrison) surely doesn’t hurt. “The Shoals” is a full-tilt rocker with a powerful vocal from Kaye; the song is about being an outlier personality and being proud of it. She’s also featured on “Joanne,” the heartbreaking Lady Gaga song about a dying loved one; her lead is so strong here that guest star Lucinda Williams takes a purely supportive role. On the other hand, “Not Over Yet” is the one purely celebratory song here; while it doesn’t anticipate conditions getting better, it finds ways to get through: “Weirdos, witches, lonely hearts, cowboys and queers/ Put your glitter on and grab some beers.” I’d accept that invitation anytime.
