On her 2018 debut full-length,
If Only There Was a River
, singer/songwriter
Anna St. Louis
stuck to soft, woodsy folk-country tones and simple, earthy arrangements for her songs of love and searching. Led by
St. Louis
' amber-hued voice, the songs of
held echoes of
Karen Dalton
's elegant sadness and
Neil Young
's rusty wisdom along with the trappings of traditional country songwriting. Five years later, sophomore album
In the Air
feels cut from a new cloth, with upgraded production turns and more-sophisticated arrangements bringing the strengths of
' songs into clearer focus. After beginning with a dreamy intro, "Phone" snaps into a soft rock groove complete with tight backing vocal harmonies and twinkly interplay between electric piano, organ, and synth. "Morning" takes a page straight from
Dusty Springfield
's all-time classic
Dusty in Memphis
, bringing together country shuffling, soul sweetness, and orchestral strings for one of the album's most upbeat and immediately gratifying moments. The chorus of backing vocals and slippery string lines that slide playfully through the chorus add the extra spoonful of sugar that makes an already strong song even better. The pedal steel, bleary organ, and precisely placed backing vocals on "Better Days" fill out what might have been a less captivating tune if it had a more skeletal arrangement.
Not everything on
is as ornamented as some of its standouts, but even subtler moments feel less minimal than earlier work. The creaky ballad "Sad Eyes" comes on like a spare lament, but understated organ, slide guitar, and mumbly male vocals slowly creep into the mix underneath
' commanding vocals and acoustic guitar strums. "Soft Cities" is similar, starting off with ambling guitar and vocals, but steadily introducing new sounds as the song plays out. The songs for
were written over a period of time when
was taking a break from performing, and living quietly in upstate New York. There's a sense of consideration that touches every aspect of the album and reflects what could have been happening in
' mind as she spent silent nights refining ideas in a solitary creative bubble.
never rushes or overstates, regardless of how swooping the arrangements could be or how grand a production move could come across. Instead, it's as metered and thoughtful as
' earlier, more stripped-down efforts, keeping the songwriting as the focal point, regardless of how impressive and beautiful the sonic details surrounding the songs might be. ~ Fred Thomas