THE TREE OUT NOW TO OVERWHELMING CRITICAL ACCLAIM FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES,
THE WASHINGTON POST, NPR MUSIC, ROLLING STONE AND MORE
“THE WAY BACK HOME TOUR” CONTINUES
Lori McKenna’s new live acoustic video for “The Lot Behind St. Mary’s” debuts today (8/1) —watch/share here. The song is from McKenna’s highly acclaimed new album, The Tree—out now on CN Records via Thirty Tigers. Stream/purchase here. The Grammy, CMA and ACM Award-winning singer-songwriter’s latest record is the subject of overwhelming critical praise…
“A brilliant songwriter…On The Tree, she matches melody and
mood to simple imagery that lets listeners see the picture she’s creating…
In McKenna’s hands, the story aches with beauty.”
“The wisdom she imparts across the songs that follow is profound in its simplicity,
but it still needs to be heard: McKenna’s omniscient narrators are simultaneously understanding toward their subjects and interrogating toward themselves, a generosity of spirit that, when paired
with Cobb’s thoughtful, subtle arrangements, is a quiet yet welcome tonic to the current landscape.”
“An eloquent and moving acoustic song-cycle centered on home and the domestic
ties that bind…Her nuanced country-folk songs pack serious emotional power.”
“Lori McKenna has made an album as big as life itself. It’s her masterpiece…
If there are better songwriters than Lori McKenna on the planet right now, I bet
you can count them on one hand.”
“Those familiar with Lori McKenna’s songwriting style know the beauty is in her details.”
“It’s difficult to know where to start when praising Lori McKenna’s
The Tree.It’s so good in so many ways.”
“McKenna’s latest album as a performer, The Tree, is another typically superb effort, showcasing her gift for combining precise details and heartfelt emotions for universally applicable songs that
feel lifted from reality.”
“The Tree is another fabulous, understated record: 10 songs about families
and domesticity, and the tensions of everyday life, and one (‘Like Patsy Would’)
about the aspirations of someone trying to write about the world as well as Hemingway
and sing about it as well as Cline.”
“In her own work, like her latest album The Tree, Ms. McKenna’s pleasantly rough-around-the-edges voice fits better into the world of folk than glossy commercial country—but the songs are as sharp as those she sells to the heavy hitters.”
“McKenna shows why no one sings her songs better than she does. As usual
McKenna’s lyrics are detailed and poignant, but it’s her phrasing and delivery that
makes them truly come to life.”
“There’s an unrelenting, aching beauty at the heart of The Tree because
McKenna once again proves just how good she is at capturing the joys and sorrows
that fill our hearts and lives.”
“One of the great songwriters of her generation…she is the Bruce Springsteen
of hearth and home.”
“Even for listeners who may not have the context of her earlier work,
The Tree is proof that when McKenna says, ‘Here’s what I know,’ you sit down, listen up and take plenty of notes. And there’s one thing McKenna makes clear here that we already knew ourselves:
She’s an invaluable pillar of songwriting and growing ever stronger, just like that sturdy oak in your childhood backyard.”
“Her voice is warm and frank, and her understated, mostly acoustic
musical arrangements never overshadow lyrics in which she almost always manages to say the right thing…McKenna’s talent is such that you don’t need to actually know her personally to benefit.
It’s all right there in her songs.”
“Another batch of pristine compositions…Over a much-heralded multi-decade
career that’s only now hitting its peak, the singer-songwriter has established herself
as not only one of country music’s most respected songwriters…but more importantly
one of its most poignant storytellers.”
“For those of us who listen tearful and short of breath, with our own
loves and losses passing before our eyes, let’s hope that last musical testament from
Lori McKenna is far, far away.”
“Through it all, McKenna’s empathy shines, as steady and comforting as a porch light left on…On new album The Tree, those creations emerge with the vividness and grace listeners have come to
expect from McKenna’s songs over the last 15-plus years.”
“The Tree reflects and represents a world country-music fans recognize
and appreciate, whether they’ve inhabited it themselves or simply acknowledge the relevance of the songs’ life details. At this time, nobody renders those with more sharpness and virtuosity than
Lori McKenna…”
“Exquisite new album…McKenna’s greatest gift: her ability to walk right up to the edge of sentimentality without forfeiting the intensity that the moment demands.”
“An elegant and beautiful album.”
The new album takes one of McKenna’s signature themes—family—and builds a tapestry of experiences she has lived and overheard, been told and dreamed up. Of the album, McKenna comments, “I love people’s stories about their families—the way they tic and the ways we’re all crazy and love each other. I hope my songs shine a little light on that for a second. Maybe our stories remind us of our families and what they give us. It’s beautiful, and sometimes we take it for granted.”
The Tree is McKenna’s eleventh studio album and second in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile). Recorded by Matt Ross-Spang over seven days at Nashville’s historic RCA, the 11-song album features McKenna (vocals, acoustic guitar), Cobb (acoustic/electric guitar, mellotron), Anderson East (electric guitar), Brian Allen (bass), Chris McKenna (mellotron), Chris Powell (drums, percussion) and background vocals from Kristen Rogers, Natalie Hemby and Hillary Lindsey.
In celebration of the release, McKenna is performing on her “The Way Back Home Tour” this summer. The headline tour kicked off June 29 at Annapolis’ Rams Head On Stage and includes stops at City Winery venues in Chicago and Atlanta as well as Nashville’s CMA Theater among others. See below for complete details.
The new album follows a series of breakthrough years for McKenna following the release of her Grammy-nominated album, The Bird & The Rifle. Released to widespread acclaim, NPR Music called it, “one of 2016’s best releases,” while Pitchfork asserted, “one of the most accomplished and devastating singer-songwriter albums of the year,” and The Washington Post declared, “the best-sounding album of McKenna’s 15-year recording career.” The album—which garnered Grammy nominations for Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Song (“Wreck You”) and Best American Roots Performance (“Wreck You”) and two nominations at the Americana Music Association’s Honors & Awards—also landed McKenna a profile on “CBS News Sunday Morning” and a performance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
Additionally, McKenna continues to enjoy tremendous success as a songwriter. In 2017, she became the first songwriter to win back-to-back Best Country Song awards at the Grammys since Shania Twain in 1999-2000 with her solo-penned, No. 1 hit “Humble & Kind” following 2016’s win for “Girl Crush” (co-written with Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey).McKenna also won Song of the Year for “Humble & Kind” at The 50th Annual CMA Awards and became the first songwriter to win the award in consecutive years since Vince Gill (1991-1993) and the first female songwriter to win back-to-back nods in the history of the CMAs. Moreover, she made history at the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards becoming the first woman to be awarded Songwriter of the Year. McKenna’s current songs include Carrie Underwood’s lead single, “Cry Pretty,” written with Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey.
THE TREE TRACK LISTING
1. A Mother Never Rests (Lori McKenna, Barry Dean)
2. The Fixer (Lori McKenna)
3. People Get Old (Lori McKenna)
4. Young and Angry Again (Lori McKenna, Barry Dean, Luke Laird)
5. The Tree (Lori McKenna, Natalie Hemby, Aaron Raitiere)
6. You Won’t Even Know I’m Gone (Lori McKenna)
7. Happy People (Lori McKenna, Hailey Whitters)
8. You Can’t Break A Woman (Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose)
9. The Lot Behind St. Mary’s (Lori McKenna)
10. The Way Back Home (Lori McKenna, Luke Laird)
11. Like Patsy Would (Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose)
LORI MCKENNA’S “THE WAY BACK HOME TOUR”
August 3—Ann Arbor, MI—The Ark*
August 4—Chicago, IL—City Winery*
August 5—Minneapolis, MN—Dakota Jazz Club*
August 15—Atlanta, GA—City Winery†
August 16—Charlotte, NC—North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center†
August 17—Nashville, TN—CMA Theater, Country Music Hall of Fame†
* with Whitney Fenimore
† with Dustin Christensen