Lori McKenna BITTERTOWN (Signature Sounds)

Bittertown finds Stoughton native Lori McKenna taking a graceful leap from the stripped-down folk of her previous recordings into lusher musical settings. The disc marries elements of Americana to honed pop melodies. McKenna’s nimble-fingered guitar picking and infectious vocals are the foundation for engaging tales of survival that seem to draw on real-life experiences and deal with the issues raised by her never having left the area in which she came of age. Powered by the guitars of Buddy Miller and Duke Levine, "Bible Town" acquaints us with characters who are both trapped and liberated by their small-town existences. The buoyant folk-pop groove of "Mr. Sunshine" (with Meghan Toohey on guitar) contrasts with the anxiety of the narrator, who finds comfort in life’s darker moments. And "Pour" derives a Dust Bowl authenticity from Kevin Barry’s lap steel on the chorus. The disc’s finest moment is "One Man," which features vocal harmonies by Push Star Chris Trapper and lyrics that deal with the selfless joy of devoting life to loving one person.