The American South is a magical place. If you aren’t from here, put your kickstand down for a minute and allow me to educate you, beloved reader.
Do we have our dark, shameful moments in the pages of our country’s history? Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Atrocities have occurred here in the struggle for civil rights for hundreds of years, and sadly, sometimes that’s still an issue. With all our faults, our history is also rich – our traditions in art, food, music, and more are celebrated and emulated across the globe, and for that, we are proud. Southerners don’t always need explanations for the unexplainable. We celebrate the mystery.
We’re also irreverent, and innovative, and a prime example of this is You Had Your Cake, So Lie in It, the new LP from Mississippi-bred Nashville-based artist Chelsea Lovitt out on February 28th. The album, recorded in Nashville and produced by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Margo Price, Fly Golden Eagle) is an inspired collection of various, mostly Southern musical approaches. It’s also, in subtle and personal ways, a political record that questions America’s obsession with material wealth, toxic relationships between men and women, and a warning against the Trump-era corrosion of values and the current climate of isolation. You Had Your Cake, So Lie in It is also about tradition and family, and the vagaries of human identity.
Lovitt’s work is filled with sass and swagger, hip-shaking defiance and cards laid out on the table. Her style is Hank Williams meets the Beatles, Bob Dylan meets The Rolling Stones, Loretta Lynn meets the White Stripes. Rock n’ roll and rockabilly, psychedelic country with the underlying lyrical rebellion of 60s folk. Every song is a sparkling gem – whether it’s sifting through the emotional storage facility of emerging adulthood or red wine-fueled philosophizing, Lovitt’s got the goods, and she’s got it in spades.
Without further ado, Mother Church Pew is proud to present You Had Your Cake, So Lie in It, the new LP from Chelsea Lovitt:
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