Your Life Is a Record

can't help but feel like a response to , the 2016 album that found singer/songwriter leaping into the world of major labels after carving out a career as one of country music's most successful songwriters. didn't wind up cracking country radio in 2016, which may explain why 2020's feels a bit like a retreat from the rat race, even if it finds her reuniting with 's producer, . While isn't turning a blind eye to the modern world -- indeed, she addresses it directly on "Bigger Boat," a wry shuffling paean to inclusion sung with -- she's certainly not spending much time chasing trends, choosing to record an album the old-fashioned way: accentuating a cozy acoustic quartet with the lush sounds of . The instrumentation manages to be simultaneously intimate and luxurious, a sound that not only suits 's impeccably crafted tunes but enhances them. Far from seeming ostentatious, help tease out the heartache and humor in her songs, while also giving her a sumptuous bed for her most soulful singing to date. doesn't over-sing, which is appropriate because she also doesn't overwrite. Subtlety is her strength and that skill is still evident in her witty, elegant turns of phrase, but the distinguishing characteristic of is warmth. From its enveloping sound to its empathetic tales, the album feels openhearted and comforting, a sensibility that helps the record seem charmingly out of step with the times. It's part of a lineage that stretches back to and through and , an album that feels like a classic not just through its sound but through its depth of feeling. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine