La Vita Nuova

Album review

"Artists must grow to stay relevant" is a dictum Maria McKee has always taken to heart, never more so than in her brave, sweeping, operatic new album that chronicles her spiritual journey to "a new life." Most famous as the lead singer of the LA country rock band Lone Justice, McKee embraces her interest in the occult and comes out as "a pansexual, polyamorous, gender fluid dyke." McKee recently moved to London, reinvented her marriage to co-producer Jim Akin, hired a small orchestra and penned this ambitious, mostly successful series of classical-leaning pop arias that wrestle in grandiose lyrical style with making life-altering choices after the age of 50. The key to success here is McKee's never-stronger voice. With her heart obviously committed, this is easily some of the best singing of her entire career; the title track, first single "Effigy of Salt," and "I Never Asked" inspire tour de force vocal performances. Another highlight is the celebration of her new home, "Right Down to the Heart of London," where soaring vocals and dense lyrics that namecheck William Blake make for a folky baroque pop gem. McKee's songwriting—both the words and music—has always been a lesser known aspect of her musical gifts. She has become a master at writing what she can sing best. This also means if there's a flaw to La Vita Nuova, it's that these arrangements can sound too similar. Unchanging tempos and a paucity of percussion add to the sameness. Musical wobblings aside, McKee's faith and ardent, absolutely gorgeous singing gives wings to this devotional voyage: "And I have allowed my mind / autonomy to wanderingly stray/ Into fanaticism of a daring kind /And therefore never will I find it strange ("Page of Cups")." © Robert Baird / Qobuz