Julien Baker
knows how to choose her collaborators. Teaming up with
Phoebe Bridgers
and
Lucy Dacus
as
Boygenius
took her music to new critical and commercial heights, and her unerring ear for who to work with continues on
Send a Prayer My Way
, her first album with
Torres
. Both singer/songwriters grew up in the American South (
Baker
in Tennessee,
in Georgia) surrounded by country music that they loved but couldn't identify with as queer musicians. On
, they make everything that's great about country -- spine-tingling harmonies, evocative turns of phrase, finding comfort and resilience during hard times -- their own.
pay homage to the genre's polished and rustic sides, weaving them together as gracefully as they entwine their voices on songs like the album opener "Dirt," where the former's raspy depth complements the scuffed sweetness of the latter perfectly. On every song that follows, their deep love and familiarity with these sounds is strikingly apparent. They hark back to mid-20th century traditions on "The Only Marble I've Got Left," a barbed love song from one troublemaker to another, while the huge choruses and beaming harmonies of "Sugar in the Tank" sound like a forgotten country-pop hit (or one in the making).
starts out particularly strong, but the whole album showcases
' place in a legacy that includes collaborative albums like
Dolly Parton
,
Emmylou Harris
, and
Linda Ronstadt
's
Trio
and a heritage of queer country acts that stretches back to
Lavender Country
.
sings about the pain and betrayal of closeted love with harrowing detail and a dash of humor on "Tuesday," one of the finest -- and rawest -- songs she's ever performed, but a similar ache underpins "No Desert Flower" and "Tape Runs Out." As they reclaim the sounds of their roots on
bring out the best in each other's music. ~ Heather Phares