Kate Crutchfield unleashes her inner Americana on an album full of Country-Alt joy and beautiful musicianship. Before embarking on her solo career, she joined forces with her twin sister, Allison. They formed PS Eliot, a band known for their fuzzy indie-rock of scrappy, homespun punk songs that filled college radio stations across America.
From that, Crutchfield slowly but surely began to build his solo career, and his debut under the moniker Waxahatchee (the name is taken from Waxahatchee Creek in Alabama, where Crutchfield grew up) came to great fanfare in 2012.
Fast forward twelve years and five albums later, and tiger blood arrives and elevates Crutchfield's career. It is his best work to date. While Saint Cloud's 2020 album was a true triumph in how beautiful, engaging, mature and subtle his writing can be, Tigers Blood takes this forward and lets loose with wild abandon.
The opening track '3 sisters' is an excellent example of how good this album is. There is simplicity in its beauty, a four-chord structure that revolves around Crutchfield's beautiful voice. A song revolving around a troubled relationship fills the air with soul and longing and builds beautifully. 'Evil Spawn' continues with a Country-Alt touch that reminds me a little of Drive-By Truckers. It is loose and delicious.
tiger blood finds Crutchfield welcoming new collaborators into his world, most notably MJ Lenderman (a singer-songwriter with three solo albums under his belt who is also part of the band Wednesday). Lenderman plays on every song that appears on the album, the most notable being the duet on 'Right Back To It'; There are plenty of nods to country duets like Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons as the song revolves around the idea of a relationship. fall in love and get out of the drama and beyond the excitement of your formative beginnings. “You just fit in/like an endless song/if I can keep up/we'll get back to it.“
'Bored' chimes in with delicious pedal guitar. The arrangements on this album are wonderful and really shine on this particular track. There are influences from Townes Van Zandt, while the lyrics remain serious and honest. Crutchfield has a wonderful way of portraying his emotions and bringing them to the foreground in beautiful, melancholic tones.
The most beautiful and sincere moment of tiger blood Comes on '365' Crutchfield has been sober for six years and this song turns to addictions. “If you fly beyond the cosmos, there is a long way to fall again.” he sings beautifully as Lenderman plays a soft, warm chord structure that levels the song and keeps everything under control. It's an amazing combination that takes great advantage of the early REM state.
'The Wolves' continues those heartfelt moments through more heartbreak and intrigue, while 'Evil Spawn' leans into what happens when love is lost and how to remember the best times that once were.
tiger blood It is more open to the outside than its predecessor. It's a record of someone getting sober, getting clean, and having a clearer state of mind than ever before. It's about being in love with someone who still has addictions. He has maturity but still retains that angsty enthusiasm of youth. It's Crutchfield's best work to date and I highly recommend letting it sink into your soul.
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