Miranda Lambert
and
Anderson East
share production credits on
Single Wide Dreamer
, suggesting that this debut from singer/songwriter
Aaron Raitiere
may have been sitting completed on the shelf for a while, as the one-time couple split way back in 2018. Good thing that
Raitiere
's gifts aren't tied to a particular time or place. A wry, wiry singer,
comes across as the heir to the likes of
John Prine
Roger Miller
, singer/songwriters whose sense of humanity matches their sense of humor.
doesn't write jokes, he paints portraits, infusing his character sketches and storytelling with ingrained humor.
Lambert
East
's production rolls so easy it allows
to be utterly relaxed -- so mellow that
can really lean into his drawl, a delivery that seems bemused, not lackadaisical. The relaxed delivery camouflages the craft of the songs and that's the key to the appeal of
: The songs have been whittled to their essence but the execution is so casual, it feels as if
and his crew are just picking on a porch on a Sunday afternoon. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine