Merce Lemon makes music on her album that fits into the Americana box, The American musician has found the perfect producer for her music, because “Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild” recorded in Alex Farrar’s studio in Asheville, North Carolina. The currently highly sought-after producer already made annual list albums with Wednesday, Indigo De Souza and Squirrel Flower last year and is also on a roll this year with excellent albums by Bnny, Horse Jumper Of Love and MJ Lenderman.
Alex Farrar is also on a roll on Merce Lemon’s new album. “Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild” features a spacious and at times nice rough and gritty sound. It is a sound that stands out in the opening track because of a wall of violins and in the second track because of beautiful and wide-ranging pedal steel playing, but also in these tracks there are the guitars that play a leading role on the album, assisted here and there by the bojo, a cross between a guitar and a banjo.
Merce Lemon’s sound can derail beautifully on her third album in great guitar solos, but the songs on “Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild” always have their subdued moments as well. That sound is not only determined by the guitar-filled production of Alex Farrar, but also by the beautiful voice of Merce Lemon, who shows on this album that she has a voice that is made for the somewhat rough Americana The American musician has a somewhat soft but also powerful voice and it is a sound that was actually immediately dear to me.
Because of the gritty music, the fantastic production and the excellent vocals, I was immediately hooked on Merce Lemon’s new album, but it is also an album that is full of excellent songs, which not only impose themselves easily, but then also linger pleasantly. It is also a varied album, which takes advantage of the dynamics between the extremely subdued passages and the somewhat rougher guitar parts on these songs of Merce Lemon.
With three albums under her belt, I can’t possibly call Merce Lemon a newcomer, but based on this beautiful release she could rank her among my greatest discoveries of the 2024 music year and among the great talents within Americana scene at the moment.
released September 27th, 2024
The Fat Angel Sings 