‘Lilac Sky’ is the latest release from Boston singer/songwriter THEA HOPKINS and is her third release to date. However, this six track mini album marks a departure from the contemporary folk music of her first two albums. Here, instead, we have six tracks of pure Americana, although Thea describes it as: "Native Americana" which reflects her Wampanoag and Cherokee ancestry.
The first track ‘Might’ve Stayed in Memphis’ showcases all that’s great about this album. It's a country track that gets a bit rockier on the chorus with musicianship that blends acoustic and steel guitars. This chugs along very nicely with Thea’s lyrics working well on the theme of being in one place far too long, and the need to move on: -“Woke up this morning the sky was soaked in grey/Heard a street preacher yelling pray, pray, pray/ Looked out my window, saw the bridge to Arkansas/ I might've stayed in Memphis too long...Something tells me it's time to move on."
This starts the album on a high note and plays to Thea’s strengths. She is an excellent songwriter with a memorably vivid line in lyrics and a fine ear for melody. These abilities shine on the title track of the album, ‘Lilac Sky’, a rock ‘n’ roll song that has a real relevance to those who have been worn down by work, hardship and life in general: - “Lilac Sky turning black/ A train rolls down a railroad track
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Streets so narrow where we fall, Into each other's arms/ Windows rattle like tambourines, In this hotel sitting between
Blue highways, blue mountaintops."
Thea also excels on the final track, the doomy ‘Watcha Gonna Do?’ a well textured country song which blends guitars and mandola perfectly. Whilst the subject matter is depressing, it should strike a chord instantly with any fans of Woody Guthrie: - “Sun rises up, red as rust, On this town that's gone bust
Company here said good bye/ Cleared out in record time...A hole in this town where the jobs disappear."
This is a song in which you can almost taste the hopelessness, the grit and dust in people’s mouths as they try to eke out a living from day to day. It's a hard-bitten way for the lbum to end, but lyrically it is a spectacular tour de force. Thea Hopkins recently won the first place in American Songwriter magazine’s lyric contest and on the strength of this, I can only concur that such an accolade was richly deserved.
Thea Hopkins online
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