Big city girl with country sensibilities delivers a fine sophomore album of self-exploration.
And here we have yet another female singer-songwriter with great potential in the americana field. Just 24, del Carmen has already released two albums, a couple of singles, and an EP. She hails from Los Angeles, where she returned to after gaining a Bachelor’s degree in Music (with a songwriting focus) from the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston.
This explains her talent for wordplay in exploring themes of adulthood, self-discovery, and personal growth, wrapped in a series of glorious tunes. Her debut, Bloodline, was possibly a more simplistic album lyrically (most of which was written when del Carmen was in her teens and much more influenced by ‘pop’ music). That album came out in March 2023 and received a positive reception from critics and fans alike, who noted her voice and her way with a tune. An EP entitled Tandem Songs, released later in 2023, showcased a drift towards a more folk americana sound while still addressing the same issues, and a series of singles received positive comments from several press outlets.
The new album Pastures, while a little shorter than her debut, is an altogether different kettle of fish, leaning much more into americana territory and arranged with banjo (inherited from her grandfather), fiddle, mandolin, acoustic and steel guitar, much more suited to her poetic lyrics and her voice. Her voice really is special; warm, emotive and all-enveloping, drawing the listener in. You might need a few listens to really capture the soul of these superb songs, as they distil the essence of emerging into adulthood, with little vignettes and memories stitched together to create a roadmap for young adults who internalise similar feelings but find it difficult to express them. Del Carmen helps fellow Gen Zers to do that with these immersive and expressive songs.
And the reason you might need time is that these songs are much more like poetry set to music, often foregoing natural rhythm and rhyme. They could easily be spoken in a poet’s corner event, and yet they work in a musical setting. The time spent in Boston has obviously paid off, and the time spent evolving from the simpler narratives on Bloodline show an artist really putting down a lyrical and musical marker in the americana field. A fine example is the closer Pressure in the Pastures with its Morricone-styled spaghetti western sound at the beginning and end. It’s a song which defines the slightly unusual situation of an artist that still lives in the big city while encompassing the country, its pastures and its open spaces; hence the recording of it in Nashville at the Brunjo recording studio, where a collective of old friends from Berklee College were based: “And the mountains by the grapevine have me driving / If I’m headed out by five / I’ll catch the sun / And it’s there I’ll take a breath / And leave the pressure in the pastures”. The players are uniformly top class, from Amelia Eisenhauer on fiddle and mandolin, Jordan Ezquero on piano and organ, and Tanir Morrison on drums (all from Berklee), plus Nick Antonelli on bass and electric guitar (and whistling on the last track), Stephen Karney on steel and David Isaberg on harmonica.
The thought-provoking and seemingly autobiographical songs speak of difficulties navigated in her youth and culminating for the most part in a sense of self-acceptance: “And then I shut my mouth / Gave up all I had / And bailed out / And I knew, clear as day When I walked out And said, “God, is it all up to work out?” / When plans are just plans, now” from Plans upon Plans. The upbeat and jaunty El Cortez is a highlight, describing an erstwhile trip to Vegas with her father for her first gambling experience. Heyday is another song about coping with change and staying positive, and has some fine steel guitar playing from Karney. Good Morning from Magnolia has a lovely cinematic feel thanks to swirling harmonica throughout. It’s a reflection on the path to a purpose in her life, with memories of college life leading up to: “Good morning, hey Magnolia / It’s good to see me here / What I failed to find, I’ve made up in time /Now I never wanna leave”
Memories of past connections abound, in June, You’re on my Mind, or Leanne and then there is the lovely mandolin and banjo-driven Los Angeles, where its verses have a Waterboys The Whole of the Moon vibe. The mood of the album is best summed by del Carmen herself: “I wanted to write about what it feels like to be drifting between who you are and who you’re becoming”.
This fine ‘break-out’ album should be a stepping stone to a great future. Poetic lyrics, some lovely tunes, a great voice and some richly acoustic textures all combine to alert listeners to a burgeoning talent, all mixed by famed producer Brandon Bell, who has worked with the likes of Brandi Carlile, Alison Krauss and Alison Russell. Certainly an artist to watch.
