While Aimee Mann may be a Grammy and Oscar nominated artist, her output over the last few years has been as strong as any of the celebrated independent singer/songwriters around. ‘The Forgotten Arm’ sees Aimee treading a similar path to her previous albums in that it’s full of character driven songs, but where this collection differs is that the dozen songs are all linked and tell the tale of John and Caroline as they meet, fall in love and take a road trip across 70s America.
This focus gives the album a different feel to her previous work, starting with the band and arrangements it feels a little more natural and less produced, and the 70s feel to the stories is subtly reflected in the music with nods to Neil Young, Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell easily identifiable in places.
In isolation the songs stand up as excellent character studies, but when listened to in sequence the strength of the writing really shines through and the ups and downs (mainly downs) of the couple’s problematic relationship are laid out for all to see - there’s plenty of angst and sadness here as the pair deal with their individual problems.
Musically it drifts between acoustic folk and country rock that link the songs to the period but still sounds fresh and contemporary; instrumentally this is a deceptively simple album with the majority of the backing coming from electric and acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards and percussion supplemented by mandolin and slide guitar.
While the subject matter may sound a little downbeat, one of Mann’s strengths is that she writes a great hook, and all the songs here are melodically strong with memorable choruses – these are tracks that will stay with you after just one listen.
‘The Forgotten Arm’ sets out to chronicle the tale of John and Caroline, and the packaging and artwork reflects this literary aspiration – songs are treated as chapters and all have their own beautiful artwork.
This is an excellent album full of strong songs that work well as self contained pieces, but when the tracks are put together it turns into a significant and distinct album. Highly recommended.

£13.49