Every Acre

Album review

H.C. McEntire is a singer and songwriter who often gets lumped in with the Americana community, and not without reason -- she was born in North Carolina, and the textures of Southern life are a natural part of her songs, while her voice has an honest, heartfelt twang that gives her country leanings a natural weight and heft. But the artfully personal and literate side of McEntire's songs make her a proud addition to the singer/songwriter community, reflecting the influences of gifted tunesmiths both past and present. While some contemporary roots musicians enjoy playing with the affectations of roots music traditions, her work is that of an artist casually, deliberately baring their soul accompanied by music tied to the sound of contemporary folk, with an unforced and compelling integrity. McEntire's 2023 album Every Acre sounds like a classic singer/songwriter session of the 1970s, only filtered through the heart and mind of a woman living in the 2020s with her own stories to tell about isolation, grief, survival, need, and all the stuff of grown-up lives. McEntire also happens to possess a voice that suggests she could be Dolly Parton's niece who moved to the big city, lacking Parton's sweetness but doubling down on her strength and unflinching honesty. Every Acre's arrangements bring out the elemental, emotionally open sound of McEntire's melodies, sounding lean but never flimsy in the reverb-soaked guitar of "New View," the sturdy piano figures of "Dovetail," and the spectral keyboards and percussion of "Wild for the King." Her accompanists (which include fellow songwriting prodigy S.G. Goodman and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls) help give the performances a sound that's rich and full without seeming cluttered or blurring the impact of McEntire's vocals. Every Acre is H.C. McEntire's third solo album, and with each release she has demonstrated that she's a major talent who deserves to be recognized by anyone with a taste for a well-told story of one woman's life.
© Mark Deming /TiVo