2016 saw the third album in three years, again with Liz Lenten heading back to Nashville to record with producer/guitarist Thomm Jutz. This time around Justin Moses only provided dobro, so no room for violin or banjo, while there is also a new keyboard player in Jon Gunderman who also provided accordion. This sees a continuation in change of direction which was apparent on the last album, as Liz moves further into singer songwriter territory with strong hints of Americana as oppoed to being pure Country & Western. The result is something which is increidbly polished indeed. One of my favourites is “Stupid Game” which is just Liz accompanied by Thomm on acoustic guitar: I have always believed this to be one of the purest forms of music as there is no room for anyoen to hide, it is all about baring the sould for all to see, and standing by the results.

Liz’s voice is plaintive, demanding the listener feel every strand of emotion she is going through, and when she sings about her heart being broken we all feel it. There are times when the dobor is more to fore on this album than the last, but never to the extent of the pedal steel in ‘Nashville’, and is far more about providing nuances and touches as opposed to providing the firm base as it did previously. The result is an album that yet again shows Liz is an accomplished songwriter, and I am somewhat surprised I had not come across Auburn before their excellent most recent album, ‘The Game’. Anyone at all remotely interested in Americana and this style of music really does need to discover Auburn, as there is no way this sounds as if it comes from a singer based in the UK.

Rating: 8/10

Links:
https://www.auburn.org.uk/
https://www.scarletmedia.co.uk/scarlet-records