Photo of Torres and Julien Baker by Ebru Yildiz
When Julien Baker and Torres (a.k.a. Mackenzie Scott) announced they were making a country album, I had to go back to the headline a couple of times to make sure I wasn’t suffering a complete breakdown in my reading comprehension skills. There has been little in Torres’ eclectic, semi-experimental indie rock or Julien Baker’s emo-folk to suggest that they had a traditional country album in them. However, both artists grew up queer in the South—Baker in Memphis, Torres in Macon, Georgia—and have spoken of being raised on country music. Their collaboration fits right in as part of a recent trend of artists from diverse backgrounds attempting to reclaim country from an often-exclusionary straight, white, corporate mainstream.
Album opener “Dirt” eases into things, sounding like sidling up to the bar at a dive in a town you just pulled up into, asking the bartender if there’s anything going on tonight. It’s also a song that you’d be more than happy to find on said bar’s jukebox. It’s reminiscent of Son Volt’s knack for taking fairly straightforward country sounds and scuffing them up a little bit.
The dramatic, sweeping “Tape Runs Out” is reminiscent of Calexico’s dusty Southwestern alt country. “The Only Marble I’ve Got Left” channels the Bakersfield sound, sounding like Dwight Yoakam playing Gram Parsons. One of the album’s most powerful moments, Torres’ regret-strewn story-song origin track “Tuesday,” is granted even more potency from the way Baker adds her vocal color in the background. Her story is in this song, too. Both artists had formative experiences exploring their identities while trying to push through their repressive Southern Baptist upbringings.
Baker and Torres co-produced the album with Sarah Tudzin, who helps to grant Send a Prayer My Way the same sense of clarity and urgency she puts into her own music as Illuminati Hotties. Look no further than album standout, and lead single, “Sugar in the Tank,” where gentle strumming gives way to propulsive slide guitar and Baker and Torres singing together like they’re hurtling down a two-lane highway, singing along to a favorite song with the windows down. Baker and Torres’ rapport and interplay is apparent throughout Send a Prayer My Way. Their harmonies are superb—Torres’ husky lower register curls up so well against Baker’s expressive soprano. One of the best examples of this is the plaintive “Showdown,” where their voices intersect with high lonesome steel guitar and beautifully mournful fiddle.
While Baker and Torres’ approach to country is mostly by the book, Send a Prayer My Way is distinguished by the strength of its songcraft, and in the unmistakable way both artists balance reverence for the genre with a joyful pride in knowing that this music belongs to them, too. If you happen to have a jukebox, I suggest putting this album in it. | Mike Rengel
Julien Baker & TORRES Send a Prayer My Way tour dates
04.23 – The National – Richmond, VA
04.24 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
04.25 – Haw River Ballroom – Saxapahaw, NC
04.26 – High Water Music Festival – North Charleston, SC*
04.28 – Georgia Theatre – Athens, GA
04.29 – The Lyric Oxford – Oxford, MS
04.30 – Iron City – Birmingham, AL
05.01 – Tipitina’s – New Orleans, LA
05.04 – Stable Hall – San Antonio, TX
05.05 – The Heights Theater – Houston, TX
05.06 – Longhorn Ballroom – Dallas, TX
05.07 – Tower Theatre – Oklahoma City, OK
05.09 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
05.10 – Liberty Hall – Lawrence, KS
05.11 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
05.12 – The Admiral – Omaha, NE
05.16 – Kilby Block Party – Salt Lake City, UT *
06.20 – Green River Festival – Greenfield, MA *
06.21 – Mountain Jam – Highmount, NY *
07.04-05 – Zootown Music Festival – Missoula, MT *
*Festival date
