With a cover which references Géricault's classic painting of foreboding, The Raft of the Medusa – as did The Pogues on Rum, Sodomy and the Lash – Canadian singer-songwriter Lynne Hanson alludes to the rough emotional seas she has been navigating since her last album in 2010. The 11 tracks chronicle the sadness and despair that follow when a relationship ends and the bottle gets to have its way. No great surprises there, whether such solace is real or imagined.
What makes this an exceptional piece of work is the quality of the songs. Both lyrically and melodically they offer a colourful honesty and an economy that sharpens their country-folk punch. And while her search for a reason to believe may have been painful, it is, paradoxically, hugely attractive for the listener. Certainly Hanson has made one of the standout country albums of the year.
