Artist:     Amy McCarley

Album:     MECO

Label:     Meco Records

Release Date:     2.8.2019

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With poignant and thought-provoking lyrics, Amy McCarley finds balance in a new perspective with MECO, her third studio album. After collaborating in writing new songs with Bluebird Cafe round-mate and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Pat Alger, McCarley returned to the studio with esteemed colleagues, namely co-producers Kenny Vaughan & George Bradfute, to work on MECO, her highly followup to 2014’s Jet Engines. Multi-instrumentalist Chris Scruggs handles the rhythm section and a lovely Marty Stuart mandolin added to the bluegrass-flavored “Never Can Tell.” Fiddler Kenny Lovelace and McCarley’s co-writing partner on half these songs, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Pat Alger, join in as well as.

The Huntsville AL native has a yearning, sultry vocal style that’s been compared to Lucinda Williams, and a vulnerable-sounding approach. She begins with the autobiographical “Clue,” featuring a rumbling Vaughan guitar. “Clarksdale Blues” is recovery from despair with tasty slide guitar from Bradfute. “Everything Changed” and “High Wire” are both beautiful, sweet emotional songs not to be missed.

A former NASA contractor, McCarley draws from her time working with NASA until becoming a full-time musician. The album’s title, MECO means “Main Engine Cut Off” which describes the altitude at which the space shuttle engines could be switched off as the innate velocity of the universe takes over propulsion. A fitting title.

—Laura Sedor