With a toughened interior and a glowing shell, the brand new album from Hope Dunbar adds another stellar release into a mix of sharpened lyrics and cutting sincerity. From start to finish, SWEETHEARTLAND accepts the challenge of delivering songs that depict a world aching to be sung about. Life in many forms evolve in the spirit of model Americana songwriting cradled by a soundtrack serenely curated and a voice projecting the depth of the material dealt. This second full length album from an artist naming Nebraska and Nashville as contrasting locations in its birth has proved a fruitful wait. The journey is documented as commencing in mid 2018 during a period of reflection, but metaphorically it likely draws on a wider span of influence. Now the wait is over and Hope Dunbar can join a pantheon of songwriters plying their trade in the wake of some sensational peers and herself playing a blinding game in raising the bar.
The themes on SWEETHEARTLAND are stark, reactionary and pontificating a symbolic future. We all know in this genre sad songs offer a steely strength and Dunbar enacts this as well as fighting for her gender and paying respect to an ultimate pillar of contemporary poetic realism, who is sadly no longer with us. She proves a staunch ally for her gender in exposing a cheat in 'What Were You Thinking' and shoring up an under appreciated role in 'Woman Like Me'.
The album starts on a blessing foot with 'Sweetheartland' and ends just over half an hour later with the songwriting deconstructing a role by posing some unanswered questions. 'More' in the closing slot is the culmination of an album getting deeper by the track. From an explicit midpoint where a clever homage in 'John Prine' cheekily asks for some advice, the songs get slightly more implicit in meaning apart from symbolic titles such as 'Evacuate' and 'The Road Is'. As satisfying as basking in Dunbar's effective delivery style, which resembles Brandi Carlile in parts especially 'Evacuate' and elsewhere playing to the tune of the 90s female country vocalists who thrusted the genre upwards, there is much to savour in dissecting the prowess of the lyrics. There is no doubt that a songwriter would be humbled by close adoring attention.
Hope Dunbar appears to have reached her destination for the time being, but we all know songwriters rarely stand still. However let's pause for a moment and reflect on an album close to the bone, straight from the heart and right on an intelligent spot. SWEETHEARTLAND not only draws level with its peers, but has the superiority to power ahead. A prudent example of not wasting an inch of a compact template.
