If you’re a fan of the intersection of rootsy country music with more of an adult contemporary production polish, there’s a lot to like about this new album from Chris Rusin.
When I first clicked play on the opening track “Cinders,” I felt this energy that felt both timeless and a bit mysterious. The vocal harmonies (with Katie Wise) are outstanding. The mood of the track has that brooding, old fashioned style that reminds me of gritty western shows like Deadwood.
“The Dark” has a bit more of a plaintive, expressive acoustic style. It allows Rusin’s vocal to feel more accessible and rooted, like talking on the porch with a friend or family member. I won’t pretend to know the story behind the song, but the lyric “the more we burned, the harder it got” feels like the end of a once-vibrant relationship. There’s a lot of emotion and sentimentality in this one.
“Flower” is a love song, or at least an aspirant love song. Lyrically, it’s about the hope of a relationship building a bit out of control. There’s a tenderness in the lyricism about the flower, all the while the production builds to more of a full band sound. Thematically, it seems to connect with “Time To Love,” the following song. There’s an acoustic energy to this one that feels like it could stand alone without any lyrics at all. Like classic country often does, the song alludes to a train-based theme. Again, the lyrics are wrapped with sentimentality and classic lyrical overtones.
The next track has a lovely, gentle acoustic base that takes some interesting melodic turns. The song, “Leave It In the Snow” might be my favorite melody line on the album. The layered vocal at the start feels comforting. Maybe it’s the lyrical theme that forges the connection, but it’s the kind of song that almost seems like a holiday track.
“Tossed Aside” has a delightful electric guitar style at the heart. It’s an expressive and calm lyrical style that invites the listener in to the story of a relationship that “all fell apart.” Lyrically, it’s more in line with “The Dark” from earlier in the album.
“Life Is Easy” is an example of why you shouldn’t judge a song by it’s title. I thought it might be a lighthearted tune, but it’s actually more on the mysterious or dark side, like “The Dark.” It leads nicely into “What to Leave,” a more upbeat song with a bit of a pop rock energy to it. Again, the theme seems to be about the aftermath of a broken relationship.
The penultimate track “The Longest Year” comes back to the acoustic core of Rusin’s songwriting. The expressive melody line does a nice job of introducing the lyrics here. The track uses are folk duo “call and response” style between the two vocals. The line “how could the burning summer sunset into this?” seems like a conversation about the mutual end of a relationship.
The final track “Fighting For” is the first time we hear a prominent piano on the album, but the melody here is expressive and sincere with the same emotional resonance as many other tracks on the album. There’s a lyrical concept about holding oneself back from a relationship. The complexity here seems to highlight either the same relationship as the rest of the album or a series of similar situations. Nevertheless, for anyone who has ever had a “what could have been?” kind of broken relationship, this song will definitely connect.
I appreciate the heartfelt sincerity in the songwriting throughout the album. The more time I’ve spent with these songs, the more I can recognize that they lean toward the adult contemporary world. There are shades of folk, country, and Americana, but the emotional depth of the album makes it a bit more fitting in the adult contemporary world. It’s a well-produced album for fans of emotionally resonant music and lyrically mature singer songwriters.
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