In the two years between debuting her jazzy, nuanced folk-rock songs on the self-released
Love, Lose, Remember EP and presenting her full-length Verve debut,
Madison Cunningham was invited to tour with the
Punch Brothers and
Andrew Bird, perform on
Chris Thile's public radio show, and guest on albums by the likes of
Bird,
Matt Redman, and
J.S. Ondara. For the unacquainted, the allure of her textured voice and sophisticated guitar playing is evident on said debut, 2019's
Who Are You Now. Also apparent are songwriting inspirations that range from
Joni Mitchell and
Jeff Buckley to
Fiona Apple. The album reunites
Cunningham with EP producer
Tyler Chester, who previously collaborated with
Sara Watkins,
Blake Mills, and
Julian Lage, to name a few. She opens the ten-track set with "Pin It Down," a groove-heavy look at a problematic relationship that features shifting time signatures, modest blues chops, and a sassy, radio-friendly melody. Like the rest of the album, it gets by with an efficient arrangement, in this case a spare rhythm section and intermittent electric guitar. Later, the quieter "Like You Do" makes do with threadbare acoustic guitar and violin. For something completely different, "Something to Believe In" is a theatrical, piano-based ballad ("If you need something to believe in/You can believe in my love"), and "Dry as Sand" opts for a late-night, brushed-snare half-whisper -- at least until the appearance of a rumbling, noir-esque guitar solo more than halfway through. Mostly concerned with imperfect relationships,
Who Are You Now is confident and intimate in terms of subject matter and expression throughout these variations, all of which put vocal lines front and center. And "Song in My Head" isn't the only earworm. ~ Marcy Donelson