Artist:     Lynne Hanson

Album:     Uneven Ground

Label:     Song Shop Records

Release Date:     04/07/2017

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Lynne Hanson’s hardly a household name, but she boasts a catalog that makes her worthy of recognition. This latest effort finds her offering up her usual supply of supple ballads while also evoking emotions that suggest an edgier intent.

While Uneven Ground covers the usual terrain—heartache and heartbreak, life’s pitfalls and purpose—Hanson hammers the point home with lyrics that express innate emotions and deeply defined sentiment. “If I have to be broken, I want to be broken with you,” she sings on  “Broken With You,” affirming a connection that’s more than skin deep. Opening track “Carry Me Home” rings with the kind of longing and loneliness that only a tattered relationship can bring: “Sink to the bottom drop like a stone/You were my heart now I sleep alone.” The ache is palatable, not only in the song’s calmer caress, but in words that illuminate the true sound of sorrow.

That said, Hanson isn’t simply a forlorn folkie. “Dead Weight” and “Swallow Me Up” find her amplifying her energy and even adding some grit and resolve as well. That variation in tone and tenacity adds a new surge of urgency overall and proves a point. Even when the ground is uneven, the results can still be consistent and cohesive throughout.

—Lee Zimmerman