鈥淚鈥檓 Not Crying, You鈥檙e Crying,鈥� Whitehorse (Six Shooter Records)
To start the album, she sings a drinking song. For the second tune, he sings a drinking song. On Whitehorse鈥檚 鈥淚鈥檓 Not Crying, You鈥檙e Crying,鈥� the singer-songwriter-husband-wife partnership Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland trade the lead and share their love of classic country music.
Twang has always been part of the Canadian duo鈥檚 repertoire, and while writing during the pandemic, they looked to the country sounds of a half century ago for inspiration. The result is a collection of tunes that are by turns weepy, funny, hooky, bouncy and lovely, echoing 1970s Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Austin and Nashville. Along with drinking, the coronavirus lockdown is a recurring topic, and Whitehorse also sings about gambling on love, the tug of home and toilet paper.
The arrangements are spare, wisely leaving the focus on the beautifully complementary vocals. McClelland and Doucet are both fine lead singers, and their harmonies can be savory or sweet. The voices weave around Burke Carroll鈥檚 pedal steel and Doucet鈥檚 distinctive electric guitar work, which makes his strings sound as thick as cable from one of the many construction cranes that dot today鈥檚 Nashville skyline. On 鈥淚鈥檓 Not Crying, You鈥檙e Crying,鈥� retro becomes modern.
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Steven Wine, The Associated Press
