* En anglais uniquement
Melodic alt-country combo
the Mastersons, are built around the husband-and-wife team of
Chris Masterson (guitar and vocals) and
Eleanor Whitmore (violin and vocals). Both Texas natives who had already built strong resumes on their own,
Masterson and
Whitmore came together as staples of
Steve Earle's backing band and in 2012 launched a side project recording their own songs as
the Mastersons. While continuing to back
Earle and myriad other acts, they slowly built their own sturdy audience, singing about their nomadic lifestyle on 2017's acclaimed
Transient Lullaby and their
Shooter Jennings-produced fourth album,
No Time for Love Songs, in 2020.
Both
Masterson and
Whitmore were seasoned touring and recording musicians (
Whitmore with
Regina Spektor,
Bruce Robison, and
Kelly Willis and
Masterson with
Son Volt and
Jack Ingram) when they met at a festival in Colorado. A personal and musical bond grew out of that meeting, and they soon found themselves working together in
Steve Earle's band, the Dukes and Duchesses.
Earle regularly featured the pair in his shows on tour, and the critical and audience reaction they received led to a record deal with
New West Records. The
Mastersons' debut album,
Birds Fly South, appeared in 2012, and featured the duo's joyful but still dark alt-country vision paired with a seasoned rhythm section. In 2014,
the Mastersons released their second album,
Good Luck Charm. Produced by
Jim Scott, the set featured stronger political themes as well as more personal material. Also inspired by frequent moves as a consequence of life on the road, the like-minded
Transient Lullaby followed in 2017, this time on Red House Records. For their fourth album,
the Mastersons enlisted
Shooter Jennings to produce. The duo had played on two of
Jennings' previous albums and worked with him again in 2019 backing up
Tanya Tucker on her Grammy-winning
While I'm Livin' album. Recorded at legendary L.A. studio, Sunset Sound,
No Time for Love Songs was released in early 2020. ~ Steve Leggett