Laden with angst and pain, singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier treads the well traveled ground of Americana counterparts Neil Young, Bill Mallonee, Steve Earle, and Lucinda Williams on her major label debut Mercy Now. Hers is a life filled with pitfalls, hardship, and self-induced tragedy, and she opens a vein, spilling her feelings for all to view, without fear of how they may be received.
Yeah, we all could use a little mercy now
I know we don't deserve it
But we need it anyhow
We hang in the balance
Dangle 'tween hell and hallowed ground...
Gauthier's tales of lost love, mourning, alcohol, cries for help, and the art of songwriting ring true throughout this album. A former runaway and drug addict, her songs are stark depictions, a narrow look into what her life has been, and what she hopes it will become.
Gurf Morlix's production work, and contributions instrumentally mesh perfectly with Gauthier's spoken word/singing Dylanesque rhythms. Patty Griffin, fast approaching Emmylou Harris status as the guest du jour, adds backup vocals on "Empty Spaces" and "Drop in a Bucket."
Some of us take longer in life to figure out what our purpose should be. Mary Gauthier wrote her first song at the age of 35. On this, her fourth album, she knows exactly who she is, admitting her need for mercy, love, and the crutches we use to get through life when it isn't as satisfying as we'd like it to be. "Wheel Inside the Wheel," a tale of a New Orleans funeral, is transcendent in its celebration and in its description of the circle of life.
Mercy Now pulls no punches, gives no ground, and is unforgiving in the manner in which it assails your conscience. Like a Steinbeck novel, it sees the beauty in pain, offers no happy endings, and meets life face to face. Sometimes a little reality can be a good thing.
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