In The Hour Of Chaos (Indie Exclusive Aubergine Vinyl)

In this new album by Allison Russell, one of the greatest lyric storytellers of our time, redemption does not come from the voice alone-it comes through the act of controlling and re-casting our stories so that they might be embodied, shared, and celebrated by others. Not unlike the R&B, Blues, and Folk/Country traditions that she honors and expands, her songs are sonic accompaniment to life itself. This is music to live, fight, and f*** to. Songs you put on after work because you need to be beside somebody in an empty room. Songs to which you could drive to the edge of the county just to return to whatever keeps you faithful-or to floor it across state lines and start a Tracy-Chapman-fast-car new life and get "outta here." But more importantly, these are songs you send to a friend and say, simply, call me after you hear this. An impulse that comes from the ancient desire to use music as a conductor of love between two people. Here's what I wanted to say but couldn't find the words for. And even if what we want to say are a litany of the most painful things, that the song makes it shareable, makes it known, like a cigarette passed from one to another in the dark, is a triumph.