The term “Dad Rock” rose to prominence in 2007 with Pitchfork’s review of Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky album. Critics and fans have abused the concept to the point where it holds little to no meaning, much like “indie rock.” But what about “Mom Rock” or maybe “Mom Pop” as a style of music? And no, I’m not talking about adult contemporary, though I will admit to some overlap in that Venn diagram. Instead, I’m talking about a blend of pop, folk, country, and rock with upfront vocals, mid-tempo grooves, and well-crafted lyrics about relatable grownup themes that don’t specifically address motherhood (though that’s not out of the question).
The idea popped into my head while listening to New Life, the wonderful new album by Liz Longley.
A talented troubadour with a prolific career, Longley creates thoughtful and emotionally rich songs with kitchen sink sensibilities. On her seventh album, and first for Tone Tree Records, she writes from her new perspective of marriage and motherhood. While she certainly isn’t the first singer-songwriter to mine those topics in their art, her music rings out with a warm presence that I found undeniably appealing.
It all starts with her immaculate voice, a tender alto that possesses strength, depth, and range. She then pairs it with restrained instrumentation and unadorned production. Don’t read that sentence as “quiet” or “sluggish.” Actually, I’m in awe at how clean and fresh this guitar-bass-drums setup sounds. Combined with light synths and strings for texture, the end result hearkens to Nashville dancing with Laurel Canyon. Longley’s multi-faceted and multi-genre approach conjures up images of Sheryl Crow, Amy Grant, Patti Griffin, and Waxahatchee.
The songs burst with the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of lived experience.
“More Than Ever” kicks off the album with an ode to young motherhood: “The sun shines brighter now / So why’s it always getting caught behind the clouds?” On “Wake You Up,” she talks to the dreamer who forgets to live in the present: “So wake up / Right now, Right here is the moment / Don’t let it go, slow down / Find out that you want what you’re holding.”
In “Mystery,” Longley talks openly about the fear of the unknowing while also recognizing that we’ll never know everything: “Are we all just lost in the space between? / Are we really here for a moment or eternity? / And is time a miracle or a tragedy?” With “Different Love,” she croons to her partner, “Everyone said how hard it’d be / We were young and dumb and so naive / Ain’t it sweet that we believed.”
Befitting her songwriting degree from Berklee School of Music, the strength of New Life rests in how Liz Longley lets her stories ring out. Throughout the eleven high-quality tunes, her voice sits front-and-center atop toe-tapping arrangements. And while she sings from the heart, nothing is sugarcoated. The music is honest, clear-eyed, and brimming with an authenticity that’s familiar and accessible.