Heather Maloney – Making Me Break (ALBUM REVIEW)

[rating=7.00]

Heather Maloney’s sound is timeless. The Northampton singer-songwriter has a clear and pure voice, and she uses it to tell down-to-earth tales in polished folk songs. Her new record Making Me Break plays out like a picturesque musical photo album, with sepia-tone photos and pressed, sun-drenched wild flower fields. There are elements of romance and mystery, but all the while, a classic, mountainous Americana sound reigns over Break creating songs both haunting and beautiful.

If rootsy singer-songwriters are your thing, Maloney’s sound may remind you a little of artists like Caroline Herring, Samantha Crain or even Laura Cantrell (in her more country-tinged moments). Her voice is angelic and honeyed, but there’s some power behind it. She only brings it out sparingly, though, maintaining a sense of unpredictability in songs like “Day with You” and “Dandelion”.

The songs on Making Me Break are gentle and soft, many suitable for front porches and frolics through woods and valleys. And Maloney does these kinds of songs so well, calling to mind images of rocky creeks and overgrown grass. “Dandelion” seems like a harmless tune, but its gorgeous harmonies pack one of the biggest punches on the whole record. Similarly “1855” has that dusty, dirt road romance, with more of a country feel. Maloney shows she can do country when she wants to, but she never goes all the way into one defining genre, and that suits her just fine.

Amidst all the prettiness, though, there are a few gut-punches. A song like “Involuntary” may knock the wind out of you. A dark, post-war love song, it’s heartbreaking but stunning. “There’s just no sun anymore/Since you got home from the war,” she sings with so much feeling you believe the emotions are pouring directly from her own diary. And “Hey Serena” confronts sexism head-on, telling a story of lost innocence that hits hard. “I know just how it feels/To count on sex appeal…Be it the rent to pay/Be it a power play/Or love and security,” Maloney sings, driving it home.

Oddly, Maloney includes her own rendition of Miley Cyrus’ major 2013 hit “Wrecking Ball”. And though it’s a fine version, it doesn’t stray enough from the original to deserve inclusion on such a focused record as Making Me Break. There’s no unique folksy inflections or even any paring down. The end result is what sounds like an acoustic, softer version of the original. It would have been a much more interesting opportunity for Maloney to make this one her own, but it unfortunately doesn’t have the same impact as the rest of the album.

Heather Maloney’s voice is expressive and soulful, and her best songs showcase that above all else. “Nightstand Drawer” stands out the most for its simplicity, not over sung or overplayed. It’s a cleverly written song and she sings it intimately and authentically. “Hey, hey baby I’m your terracotta pot/Gimme your basil/Gimme your daisies/Gimme your dirt,” she sings. And there’s nothing cutesy about it, just an honesty and a realness that can’t be faked.