Laura Cantrell
is one of the finest singer/songwriters to emerge from the Americana scene from the days when people were still trying to figure out what alt-country meant.
Cantrell
is remarkably talented, with a gorgeous voice and a sweetly defiant lyrical outlook, but she isn't especially careerist -- she's never walked away from her lucrative day job in finance, and she considers her responsibilities as a parent more important than playing dive bars across the country. 2023's
Just Like a Rose: The Anniversary Sessions
is the sixth studio album
has released since she launched her recording career with the superb
Not the Tremblin' Kind
in 2000, and it comes nine years after 2014's
No Way There from Here
. Some artists who take that long a break between recording projects would strive to make each one seem like an event, but that's not
's style --
Just Like a Rose
sounds like it could have come two or three years after
, and that's a compliment.
has the gift of being able to pick up where she left off without sounding as if she needs to struggle to get back up to speed, and
(originally meant to mark the 20th anniversary of
before the COVID-19 pandemic upended her schedule) is a simple but deeply satisfying summary of what she does so well. It speaks to
's love of her peers that the title track is an homage to her longtime friend
Rosie Flores
, and that
invited
Flores
to produce and play guitar on the track; the song's sassy celebration of an empowered woman with a twangy Telecaster is a gem on an album that has more than its share. "Push the Swing" is a swinging folk-rock number about a relationship struggling to get into gear, "Unaccompanied" is a joyous remembrance of being young and enjoying the thrill of the night, "I'm Gonna Miss This Town" is an evocative look at the decay of a small town that's witty and sad in equal measure, and "Good Morning, Mr. Afternoon" has a vintage jazz feel that works beautifully. "AWM - Bless" is a rarity from
, an explicitly political number dealing with the fallout of toxic masculinity that's also witty and makes brilliant use of that great passive-aggressive Southern insult, "Bless Your Heart." The only track that doesn't entirely work is
's duet with
Steve Earle
on "When the Roses Bloom Again," with the gritty rasp of
Earle
's voice just a bit too much of a contrast to the unpretentious elegance of
's instrument, though he's clearly happy to be helping out a friend. There's something deceptively simple about
's music that makes her brilliance seem easy, but the craft and smarts that went into
come from someone with both talent and drive, and however long it takes her to make an album, the results are worth the wait. ~ Mark Deming