Amy Ray
's reckoning continues on the excellent
If It All Goes South
, another wide-ranging set that embraces the singer/songwriter's Southern roots without letting them define her. Four years after career standout
Holler
,
Ray
and her band return to the loose country-soul amalgam that has come to define much of her later work, and with great results. As with
, the songs here are augmented by a clutch of well-chosen guests including
Allison Russell
Natalie Hemby
H.C. McEntire
, and Americana trio
I'm with Her
, all of whom make tasteful work of their collaborations. Opening cut "Joy Train" serves almost as a syllabus for the record that follows as
explores over a rugged country-rock stomp the conflicting emotions of her Southern upbringing. Sometimes it's the ghosts that come to the fore, like on the moody "They Won't Have Me" or "Tear It Down," a poignant treatise on slavery and the Southern monuments that still commemorate its legacy. Elsewhere,
uses wry humor to examine religion, politics, and privilege on jaunty romps such as "A Mighty Thing" and "Cowboys and Pirates." More prominent, though, are the themes of kindness and hope that emanate from songs like "Chuck Will's Widow," the gorgeous "From This Room," and "North Star," the rousing gospel-influenced album closer.
will forever remain a firebrand. She has a career's worth of well-crafted protest songs and continues to write more, but with age also comes understanding and compassion -- for herself, for her friends, and even some for those who oppose her. The early 2020s are a hard time for grace, but
finds it and elevates it through her art. ~ Timothy Monger