Inspired by her outstanding new album, Tiger’s Blood, it’s time I sing the praises of singer/songwriter Katie Crutchfield and her increasingly brilliant solo project, Waxahatchee, named after the lake near her family home in Alabama.
I first heard about Waxahatchee when I read a great review of her second album, Cerulean Salt in 2013. But here’s the thing: I don’t love that album or her lo-fi 2012 debut, American Weekend. I love exactly one song from those albums, “Swan Dive,” and like a few others. Honestly, I like her debut album as P.S. Eliot in 2009 when she was only 20 years old with her twin sister Allison, Introverted Romance in Our Troubled Minds, more. Not exactly my usual gushing enthusiasm and hyperbolic praise. Don’t worry. We’ll get there.
Then, Waxahatchee signed to Merge and released her third album, Ivy Tripp, in 2015, which is a half great indie rock album that reminds me a little of some of Tanya Donelly’s 90s work with Throwing Muses and Belly. Promising, but didn’t make my annual Best Albums of the Year list that year.
Working again with producer John Agnello, most famous for his work with Dinosaur Jr./J Mascis and the Hold Steady, Waxahatchee finally hit the bullseye for me with her fourth album, Out in the Storm, in 2017. It’s one of my top 15 favorite albums from that year along with her new (at the time) boyfriend, singer/songwriter Kevin Morby’s album City Music. They seem to have brought out the best in each other.
There aren’t too many great love stories involving two songwriters: Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham come to mind; Debbie Harry & Chris Stein; Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson; June Carter & Johnny Cash; and that’s pretty much it, unless you want to count Courtney Love & Kurt Cobain, which I sure as shit don’t. (They were more like Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen, and we know how that ended.)
But Katie Crutchfield’s relationship with Morby has survived both Crutchfield going sober in 2019 and the pandemic. (I’m amazed that her sobriety survived the pandemic.) They currently live together in Overland Park, Kansas.
Waxahatchee’s second album after falling in love with Morby was arguably the best album of 2020, Saint Cloud. Though if you’re arguing with a Guided by Voices fan, like myself, the answer might be GBV’s third of three albums that year, Styles We Paid For. And come to think of it, Crutchfield might even agree me, as she’s a fan who did a wonderful cover of GBV’s “Liar’s Tale” on a tribute EP in 2013.
But I digress. Saint Cloud, which was apparently inspired by going sober, was clearly the best album of Waxahatchee’s career up to that point. And the first which saw her mostly abandon the indie rock she had become known for. One might even say it’s the album where she truly found her own songwriting voice. A little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll? Something like that.
Produced by Brad Cook, who had also produced her Great Thunder EP in 2018 (superb re-recordings of some of her songs from 2012) as well as some of my favorite Hiss Golden Messenger albums, the band includes members of Bonny Doon and Bonny Light Horseman. The album sounds clean and warm and inviting. Tracks 2-8 are all special. The others are all at least good.
And yet, somehow, after only three listens this weekend, I think I love her new album (and first for the Anti- label) even more. Like Saint Cloud and the new Hurray for the Riff Raff, which I waxed rhapsodic about recently, this one was also produced by Brad Cook. Not sure there’s a better American record producer working today. The opening track, “3 Sisters,” kicks the shit out of the last album’s opener, “Oxbow.” I also prefer the title track/album closer on this album to that on the last one. So even if you call the rest of the songs on both albums a draw (which I’m not sure I do), this album wins by at least a nose.
In between these last two Waxahatchee albums, Crutchfield released one of last year’s best albums with Jess Williamson under the band name Plains (check out “Problem With It”), also produced by Brad Cook, and did the soundtrack to the animated Apple TV series El Deafo. “Up in the Sky” and “Tomorrow” are both highly worthwhile Crutchfield tunes that even most of her fans haven’t heard.
Has Crutchfield become the best songwriter of her generation? She’s one of them for sure. I’ll leave you with the official music video for her duet with MJ Lenderman, “Right Back to It.” Sure feels like a Neil Young-level classic to me:
Thx Steve. Not sure who is in her band on the new album. Good question! Will have to look into it.
I’m not deeply versed in her entire discography, but the last three albums really stood out for me. I especially loved the double Bonny backing band on Saint Cloud. It felt like a warm coat that I’ve been wearing for my whole life.
I haven’t listened to the new album yet, but I plan to this week. So many new releases lately; I’m falling behind!;) Are any of the Bonnys on this one?
Great piece.