Tift Merritt and what she terms a “dream cast” of musicians – including guitarist Marc Ribot, Calexico drummer John Convertino, steel guitarist Eric Heywood and multi-instrumentalist Rob Burger – spent just eight days recording Traveling Alone. But save for a definitively loose vibe and unadorned instrumentation, it’s not obvious that the singer-songwriter’s fifth studio album came together so quickly. Traveling Alone is lovely and languid, preoccupied by restlessness of mind and body, and a deep desire to find a place to belong.

Merritt addresses these weighty crises with deft, precise lyrics. “I’m just looking for that sweet spot/ Where I can live the way that I want,” she sings on the twangy slow dance “Sweet Spot,” while “Small Talk Relations” is a low-lit soul-jazz number with piano and string swells on which she belts out, “‘Cause all of these small talk relations/ Lord, I need something real.” And on “Drifted Apart,” Andrew Bird’s trembling voice and violin shadow Merritt’s lead vocals, making relationship-fracturing lyrics such as “Nobody’s fault at all/ Baby, we’re drifting apart” that much more painful.

Traveling Alone‘s music is subtle enough to let Merritt’s lyrics shine, especially on the acoustic-based title track and the Emmylou Harris-like “Feeling Of Beauty.”… read more »