Album Review: Romi Mayes — Achin' In Yer Bones

Romi Mayes
Achin’ in Yer Bones
Factor Recordings

To stand out in the midst of a wealth of already established and legendary artists is a very difficult task to achieve in the 21st century. This is especially true for the often stigmatized, stereotyped country and blues genres. Romi Mayes’ new album Achin’ In Yer Bones features both, but with Mayes very own personal touch. The music on this album seems very simple, but that’s the beauty of it.

Each song reveals a little bit of Mayes herself and her experiences on the road or are the product of a midnight session with well-known producer Gurf Morlix. She directly communicates this humbleness to the listener with a short introductory sentence to each of her songs in the cover booklet of the album, which gives the listener some context to how the gears turn in her head.

For example, “Mercy on Me,” a co-written tune with Morlix, was written “over a bottle of Jack Daniels late one night in Austin” while being on tour. The title song talks about a time when Mayes was a teenager, hitchhiking through Canada and needing a ride home on the Greyhound bus.

By placing this tune at the beginning, Mayes sets the soothing and sweet mood of the entire album. In the midst of the soft-sounding, relaxing, and thoughtful ballads like “I Won’t Cry,” “Slow Down,” or “Hard Road,” both “The Marks” and “If the Lord Don’t Love You” stand out as faster, rockier, and more aggressive. The latter’s title reflects a line that Mayes would always tell her friends when she was younger and has always wanted to incorporate into a “loose and swampy Rolling Stones-like blues tune.” Characterized by its rough sounding guitar all throughout in combination with Mayes rocky voice, it undoubtedly channels Mick and the gang.

Mayes manages to stand out by putting herself into every one of her songs of this album, either through lyrics reflecting her own road-weary experiences or the craftsmanship of her voice fused with her mastery of the guitar.