H.C. McEntire Invites Presence on Contemplative 'Every Acre'
“High hunter's moon, golden and full. The wind lets me choose this new view.” So opens H.C. McEntire's “New View,” the lead track on her new album Every Acre. That kind of lyrical portraiture is what first made me check McEntire out after an impressive set at Americanafest a few years ago, and it's an artist's eye that permeates the entirety of Every Acre.
“New View” kicks off the album with a whisper, a gentle country-rock melody flowing underneath a song about letting go of past traumas to just be present in a new relationship. “Who knew it would be so good? Baby, did you?” sung just before she implores her lover to “bless me and beg me, I'm willing to lose. Take me and wreck me. I'll take more of you.”
Another album highlight is the smoldering “Turpentine.” Featuring guest vocals from Indigo Girls' Amy Ray, “Turpentine” details the pain of hardscrabble farming. At about the midpoint of the song, a fuzztoned guitar solo wails like a farmer's lament. “Time ain't always kind to the shakin' child or the slippin' mind,” McEntire reminds us, later noting “every acre that you ever owned, hissed and split like a radiator hose.” Ray's presence is felt throughout but she is never out front. This is McEntire's show and she carries the weight.
The most pure country song on the album is single “Dovetail.” Originally conceived as a boot stomper, McEntire's pianist slowed things down one evening in the studio and the band quickly discovered they had a ballad on their hands. Evoking Emmylou Harris, McEntire tells the tale of varied women she's known. “Sometimes she leaves you like a landslide. Sometimes she's a tower tall and strong. Not all will want to have their hands tied. Some will never want you gone.”
Every Acre is an album that isn't meant to be listened to absently while you clean the house. Without fail, the songs here reward close listening, even more repeat listening. There's always something new waiting for you in these poetic lyrics, if you're willing to put your busy life on hold and just sit with it for a time.