Throughout 2017, anticipation built as to where Mary
Gauthier would next direct her lyrical prowess, with very short odds on the
political discourse in her homeland from the evidence of her online
outpourings. There is an element of politics in the background to the stories,
but this is outweighed by the personal stance and the highly creative way they
have been woven into the prime medium of the popular song.
RIFLES AND ROSARY BEADS does create the impression of being
a therapeutic project. Obviously, the veterans have been presented with the
ultimate voice, while maybe the process itself took the artist’s mind away from
society’s more visual divisions. From a listener’s perspective, each of the
eleven tracks lands in a mist of stirring rhetoric, with perhaps two standing
peerless in their effect. ‘Bullet Holes
in the Sky’ could well be Mary Gauthier’s finest composition to date, a
high accolade when you are up against ‘I
Drink’ and ‘Christmas in Paradise’.
Its stellar storytelling narrative is inspiring and probably the first time
Nashville Tennessee has been the location for a song breaking down the feelings
of one individual on November 11th. Like many of the songs, it is
sung emphatically and possesses a decent melody to up the commercial ante.
The other standout song is quite simply titled ‘Iraq’ and details the distressing
experience afflicted to a female mechanic while on military duty in that
country. The line ‘My enemy wasn’t Iraq’, paints a million pictures with just a
handful of words. Quotable lyrics also frequently jump out across the album starting
with ‘service was not a sacrifice’ in the album opener ‘Soldiering On’.
Generally, the album’s theme centres around the aftermath of
war, best analysed in the explicit title ‘The
War After The War’. One assertion from devouring the lyrics via countless
listens is that this is not designed to take sides on the pros and cons of war.
Such an objective would probably need a different vehicle and it appears that
many of the subjects are seeking social compensation rather than questioning
the merits of their endeavours.
From a musical perspective, Gauthier serves up lashing of
her Southern empathy and at times, the vocals are reminiscent of Lucinda
Williams at her soul seeking best. Intermittent harmonica blasts life into a
couple of the songs, while occasional fiddle adds a touch of sombre morbidity.
The overall studio enhancement has packaged a product ripe for listener enjoyment,
thus maximising every opportunity for these songs to be widely heard.
RIFLES AND ROSARY BEADS is every inch the trademark Mary
Gauthier that has come to be a valued part of the American folk scene. In
essence, these folk songs of 2018 are every bit important as any predecessor of
the genre. This is an album with plenty to say and it is said with stirring
fervour. Whatever the message, art is nothing without an audience and in this
instance the recipient has been served exceedingly well with a record to be
unequivocally enjoyed.