Nine excellent, note-perfect songs with a folky feel.
A Canadian now based in Nashville, Mallory Johnson’s nine-track second album will please fans of Kacey Musgraves, whose vocal and lyrical sensibilities Johnson shares. The title track, with its clapalong beat, sees Johnson castigate herself, “tired of entertaining people I don’t like” and wanting to pop all the balloons at the party. Similarly, ‘F*ck That’ is driven by a throbbing instrumental line over which Johnson declares that she has had enough of the life she is currently living, “dulling my shine for a little bit of glamour”. Johnson is the type of songwriter who, as she does here, uses words like “masquerades” and “toxicity”. When the swear word of the title comes 100 seconds into the song, it lands as a knockout punch to the “timewasters, gaslighters, heartbreakers”.
‘Suitcase’ is addressed to the concept of love itself, which Johnson wishes would show up on a GPS, “if you had an address”. ‘The Circus’ is a waltz which brings in somersaults, clowns, carousels and tightrope walks. “You’ll still be the star of my show” is the kicker, which is followed by a slightly off-kilter set of notes from the guitar, which echo the title of the song. ‘Black Widow’ is another waltz that warns a man of a “deadly” woman who, spider-like, will cause him to be “tied up in the threads…a lesson you don’t wanna learn”.
On the excellent torch song ‘Wedding Band’, with its strong chords from a string section and a sweeping solo violin part, Johnson compares herself to her ex’s current flame, who is more “house on the hill” to her “starter home”. “I was wrapped up in excuses, she was wrapped up in your arms,” she sings in a voice full of pathos, which recurs on ‘How You Leave’ (“it’s not why you go”), where she mourns the end of a relationship.
‘Kids’ Table’ sets images of ice cream, milkshakes, “cookie fortress” and cake at a teenage party to acoustic strumming. It comes off as a Lori McKenna-type song, especially given its sparse arrangement that forces the listener to focus on the lyrics. ‘Dimes’ closes the album with Johnson being reminded of an old friend everywhere she goes; they must be thinking of her as well, “from your side of goodbye”, given that she’s “been seeing dimes”.
With Johnson’s remarkable voice transferring the emotions of her sensitive songs, this is an album with not a note out of place.
