Read the Review at American Standard Time

Continuing 2019’s great identity revolution, Renee Wahl‘s album re-defines the outlaw right away on To The Bone’s title track offering “I’ll string you up and strip you down” to a wayward lover. It’s not so much what Wahl says –relationship troubles have long been the playground of country music– it’s the way she says it. Wahl performs from a point of power whether dealing with delinquent lovers or her own mental health, as on “Meds” which stands out on a stellar album as a post modern country cousin to Loretta Lynn’s “The Pill”.  Throughout the album Wahl’s songs ring out with her voice and her sense of autonomy.

Her song characters range from Jerry Lee’s muse on “Cold Day In Memphis”, to temptation itself on “Temptation”, and her lyrics navigate life’s strange avenues free of shame. Backed by a bang up country band The Sworn Secrets, she’s able to cross story lines from “cocaine for breakfast” on “Six Days Til Sunday” to an unlikely new mother on “Me Before You”.

On “What You Need” Wahl takes an interesting twist on cheatin’ songs –as a compassionate, rational, jilted lover offering “I’ll stay here and take it, I’ve been the strong one before, & if you need something more, you can learn the hard way”.

Wahl is doing what outlaw country artists do best: blazing paths in songwriting with mythical folk tales based on unflinching observation.