Claire Kelly - The Scenic Route (2021) [gnodde]

Claire Kelly - The Scenic Route (2021) [gnodde]



On Nashville-based Claire Kelly's latest, Scenic Route, she opens and closes the record with two versions of an endearingly charming song ("Thank You [Intro Song]" and "Outro") essentially expressing her gratitude to the listener for making it possible for her to make a living as a musician. The sentiment is surprisingly genuine coming from Kelly. The fact that the songs between are a sublime mix of pop, folk and Americana, helps hammer home the point.

After releasing a handful of EPs, crisscrossing the globe playing her music, being recognized by Jack White’s Third Man Records for her songwriting and relocating from the Midwest to Nashville, it all seems like the momentum was building up to this record. Buried amongst some truly stellar contemporary songs is "Grace", a stunningly emotional cover of an Irish folk song, sweet and tragic at the same time. Lyrically, whether Kelly's singing about keeping it together with friends on "Dandelion Wine" or just enjoying the moment on "Sitting Still;" – both written during the pandemic – about bunking up with fans on the road ("Thank You") or singing about a run in with a freaky hairless cat named Jeffrey Jones (on the aptly titled, and laugh out loud bonus track "Jeffrey Jones"), Kelly’s songs paint vivid pictures; the songs bring to mind folks like Guy Clark for their sentimentality and John Prine for their wry humor.

Tracks:
01 - Thank You (The Intro Song)
02 - Dandelion Wine
03 - Detour
04 - Running Out
05 - The Restless and the Reckless
06 - The Land that Time Forgot
07 - Sitting Still
08 - Randy
09 - Grace
10 - Thank You (Outro)
11 - Jeffery Jones (Bonus Track)

All in MP3 @ 320kbps