Search - Lori Mckenna :: Bittertown

Bittertown
Lori Mckenna
Bittertown
Genres: Country, Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (13) - Disc #1

This songwriter and mother of four, who lives a stones throw from the town she grew up in, doesn't fit into any stereotype. She's garnered comparisons to Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Dashboard Confessional, and Ros...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Lori Mckenna
Title: Bittertown
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Signature Sounds
Release Date: 5/11/2004
Genres: Country, Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock
Styles: Americana, Contemporary Folk, Adult Contemporary, Singer-Songwriters, Vocal Pop, Adult Alternative
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 093624986928, 701237128528, 8713762010348

Synopsis

Album Description
This songwriter and mother of four, who lives a stones throw from the town she grew up in, doesn't fit into any stereotype. She's garnered comparisons to Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Dashboard Confessional, and Roseanne Cash. Her songs, as solid as Georgia oak, are played and sung with an emotional grit under the nails that comes from digging in life's mundane and less illuminated holes. These songs grab you with Lori's signature strident, soulful, and unapologetic vocals sharing earnest observations and stories of growing up and growing old, of loves and losses, winners and losers, guns and god, and drinkers and dreamers in a town that is resting uncomfortably between its blue collar roots and modern suburbia. Incapable of artifice, Lori McKenna speaks of the bitter and the sweet, but doesn't simply write songs, she documents her life, and in turn ours, in word and melody. Meet Lori McKenna and welcome to Bittertown

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CD Reviews

It's early, but this is album of the year
twoodburn | 09/09/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Four words: Album of the Year. Why this artist is still under the radar is beyond me. Maybe raising 5 kids while you are a recording/touring musician creates some logistical difficulties. "Bittertown" is nearly flawless. Kudos to the fine team of musicians and producer, Lorne Entress. Anyone with a love of Lucy Kaplansky, Roseanne Cash, Nanci Griffith, Lucinda Williams should FLIP over this album. Lori sings and plays as if this is her last chance to record an album. Solid songcraft, subtle and rich dynamics and the upbeat rockin' songs leave everything out there, no holding back. I can only hope more people hear this album and discover the pure genius of Lori McKenna's work. 5 BIG stars for this one."
Hard Times Again
Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 10/14/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

""Paper Wings & Halos" was a CD I found at a bargain basement price in a used bin. It was a revelation, amazing for its purity and sweetness. "Bittertown," as might be expected from the title, is a darker view, but elegant and still sweet with McKenna's melodic originality that puts her in a class with Lucinda Williams & Iris DeMent. Three of the tracks are my very favorites. "Just because you lie in his bed don't mean you mean the things you said; they marry young in these parts; they work the factory," she sings on "Bible Song" with a powerful vocal. This is a classic track. "Mr. Sunshine" is another of my favorites. Lori's alto is strong like Nanci Griffith's and wraps itself around the lyric, "You scare me more than the hard times; I know they're coming around again." "Pour" is another stellar track, more simplified in arrangement with Kevin Barry's lap steel guitar milking the country, "I don't know where my lover went, but I know he took the rent." All of the tracks on this set are consistently strong. McKenna's voice is riveting, her songwriting is stark and original, and the band backs her up like a fond embrace. This is best of the year quality. Bravo!

"
Not Just Another Under-Appreciated Artist
P. McDermott | Springfield, Va USA | 08/08/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I enjoy reading other people's reviews of CDs and will often buy a CD based on a good review or a series of comments, but I rarely review CDs myself. I am really surprised to see the lack of reviews for this CD. Simply put, this is one of the best CDs of the past several years. I listen to a lot of Female singers, from the country-folk-alt-rock genre - I'm pretty sure I've tried them all - and Lori is my favorite.



And Bittertown is her best effort yet, a collection with great lyrics, imagery and mood, backed with equally impressive instrumentation and melodies. Dare I say Electic Nebraska! Best tracks include Lone Star, If You Ask, Monday Afternoon, Bible Song, One Kiss Goodnight and a few others....heck there are two only two weak tracks for my money. As an aside I have bought several copies for friends, something I rarely do since musical preferences are very personal."