Full Review

Rod Picott – Girl from Arkansas

Rod’s previous two albums have marked him out as one of the strongest writers and versatile performers around; this new disc is equally compelling and guaranteed to reinforce and build on his deserved reputation.

There are obvious differences between this and his earlier work – lyrically this is a fairly dark disc, it’s not overly downbeat or morose, but rather that the lyrics are substantial, serious and often carry a real punch.

The arrangements are fairly open and understated, the core instrumentation consists of acoustic & electric guitars, bass, cello & dobro and it’s all controlled, disciplined and full of detail, but there’s lots of space in the mix to allow individual performances to shine through.

This restrained backing is reflected in the vocals, he still has his distinctive gravelled voice, but the subtle backing has brought a smoother, controlled and more flexible vocal performance from Rod that is excellent throughout and exceptionally good in places.

‘Girl from Arkansas’ is full of strong songs, but the obvious highlight is ‘Down to the Bone’ which has a beautiful melody and acoustic guitar backing as well as excellent lyrics and a great vocal performance – easily one of the best songs of the year. Elsewhere, ‘Wrecking Ball’ (a co-write with Slaid Cleaves), ‘Girl from Arkansas’ and ‘No Love in This Town’ provide memorable highlights from the eleven songs.

‘Girl from Arkansas’ is an excellent album; it’s understated and both lyrically and musically intelligent, but most importantly it’s a pleasure to listen to again and again.