I grew up listening to country and rock music. In fact, my parents met in the ‘70s at a concert for a country-rock band. My dad preferred outlaw country and twangy folk music, while my mom preferred heavier blues-inflected rock. By the time the ‘80s rolled around, they embraced the work of acts like George Strait, The Judds, Randy Travis, and Reba McEntire. Those artists might not have employed the bombast of classic rock, but they knew how to write catchy hooks and create evocative scenes with their words. I cut my musical teeth listening to songs about love, loss, and heartbreak through rather realistic lenses.
The music of S.G. Goodman straddles that three-tiered Venn Diagram with aplomb.
Hailing from Kentucky, she crafts sumptuous and spectral tunes that effectively blur the line between folk, alt-country, and blues. On her new album entitled Teeth Marks, Goodman brings her aching yelp of a soprano to bear on eleven songs that deliver big-time vintage feels without relying upon needless nostalgia. I hear a remarkable blend of Patty Griffin, Julie Miller, Lucinda Williams, and John Prine throughout. Released on Verve Forecast, the project acknowledges its throwback roots while still looking to the future with how it interprets those influences.
The record features a two-pronged sonic attack: Goodman’s fantastic vocals and her ability to know when to let loose musically and when to pull back. Her voice possesses a piercing clarity when she aims for the high notes, and the effect is magnified on the rare occasions she allows it to break. When she drops into the bottom of her range, her raspy smoker’s rattle completely holds your attention. It’s refreshing to hear an artist put her pipes front-and-center while also showcasing the cracks and crevices.
She surrounds herself with a classic guitar-bass-drums setup and immaculate production.
Everything about Teeth Marks sounds clear and crisp, whether it’s delivering countryfied indie rock or minimalist folk. Think Margo Price, Waxahatchee, or Son Volt. Because very few studio tricks or effects enter the mix, you can hear each instrument with absolute precision. Such a format creates ample room for expanding and reinterpreting these songs when performed live.
This combination of clean textures and Goodman’s raw, unadorned delivery provide the perfect platform for her lyrics about growing up queer in the South. She sings about relationships, belonging, pain, and maturity with a remarkable authenticity. By embracing her big feelings with care and concern, she makes the sociopolitical very personal without being strident or mawkish.
The delightful slow burning title track opens the album.
Two guitars provide a rich sonic bed, including dueling simmering arpeggios and what sounds like tremolo-soaked E-bow or textured feedback. Goodman’s lilting pipes pack the truest punch when she coos the line, “Oh maybe in time you’ll see things my way.” The band cranks things up a notch with “All My Love Is Coming Back to Me,” as the snarling guitars dance with the taut drumming and thrumming bass line.
Serving as the standout song of the record, “You Were Someone I Loved” showcases Goodman a cappella. Straddling the line between stark murder ballad and Sacred Harp chorale, I can imagine this spine-tingling song opening up a live set before the rest of the band comes to the stage.
“Patron Saint of the Dollar Store” conjures up sensations of sitting on a front porch in the twilight trading stories with friends about a treasured community legend. Drawing the project to a tremendous close, “Keeper of the Time” gradually crescendos only as the best ballads can. Atop a tempo that’s perfect for slow dancing, we’re graced with sentiments like, “How a body will remember holding more than one’s own mind.”
Throughout Teeth Marks, S. G. Goodman offers up sizable grooves, sharp arrangements, and toe-tapping swagger.
While I might have enjoyed an album overflowing with righteous blues licks and well-crafted jam sessions, I prefer her propensity for sparse tenderness. She’s unafraid to present her heart for the world to see as she examines her feelings from a variety of angles and facets. Instead of relying upon too many metaphors, she opts for unfettered reality. She connects with her listeners because she gives them the chance to see the world through her eyes.