This wonderful record is almost an “excuse” to tell you about one of the most talented and loved authors from Nashville country. One that here in Italy is almost unknown, if not for fans of this genre so American and some employee who knows it almost only to be the daughter of one of the greatest American producers and authors (Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson, George Strait and Merle Haggard, just to name a few) and that is Buddy Cannon, recently nominated in the Hall of Fame of the songwriters of Nashville. Talent flows in this family as the Force flowed in the Skywalker family of Star Wars, flowing powerful and intense. A talent that touched like a hand from heaven the two daughters Melonie and precisely Marla. Melonie is one of the voices that accompany on record and live the legendary Jamey Johnson, she sang in so many successful country records that the list would fill the page alone and she has also to the credit two wonderful solo albums and one with her band of sessions-musicians the Likely Culprits (of which I spoke in this article : https://www.trexroads.com/the-likely-culprits-the-likely-culprits-2019/ ). Marla Cannon-Goodman despite a really incredible voice, sweet but powerful, intense but delicate, is best known for being a great author. Here too the list of artists to whom he gave her art is very long. I name one of the songs that is valid for everyone and that is the author of Unfair Weather Friend (along with Ward Davis ) fantastic piece (also present in this album) brought to success by a duo that define legendary is reductive and that is Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard (Django and Jimmie, 2015). Marla has grown up we imagine in the middle of the music, immersed since childhood, breathed the air, the art was served with sunday lunches and the result is a great artist, arrived at this second record that amazes for beauty, perfect in its simplicity, poetic and moving. It took 12 years to follow up the good debut that was My Reflection (2009) but it was worth it. I’m telling you right now, the voice is enveloping and accompanied by a nice round of acoustic guitar Wild introduces us to a record of pure songwriter from Nashville, a record of those we imagine sung and played by the author in one of those places where people go to listen to beautiful music, move, laugh and discover new talents to love. There is love, family, faith and friendship, like that with another Nashville songwriter, singer and guitarist, Josh Martin, who probably gave that extra boost to the record. Listen to the intense Faithful, Marla’s voice was born for this, move souls and make them think. I still remember how I learned about her talent last year in the midst of the world pandemic. By listening to independent country outlaw Mickey Lamantia and Jamey Johnson, I discovered her sister Melonie and fell in love with her voice. One evening, during probably the hardest time for independent musicians living through concerts, Melonie broadcast a live concert from the front porch of the family home in Nashville. Beautiful, intense and true, one of those things so much American, was missing a campfire but it was all so simple and perfect. Here was also Marla and I could not try to discover her better and this record is almost a continuation of the feeling of that streaming from the porch, explained by the beautiful slide intro of South in My Soul, a folk country piece, one of my favorites in the lot of 11. A piece that I would listen to 100 times a day, the essence of the southern United States in music and an exceptional voice to tell us. But when Unfair Weather Friend arrives you are wrapped in a rush of goose bumps, here I don’t know how to describe otherwise the feeling that you feel with this piece. A jewel of American music, a piece to be handed down to posterity and of a sparkling beauty. It would be enough to justify buying and listening, but then there are songs like Same Devil, a song that made me think of some things recorded by the great Townes Van Zandt, or The Fool, an acoustic ballad of other times, and you realize that it’s the whole disk that’s simple and disarming beauty. Without tricks, without deception, a work of American music of absolute quality, guitars, a bit of rhythm, a voice that leaves you speechless and a lot, a lot of talent. Get comfortable, maybe on the porch or otherwise relax, close your eyes and let yourself be accompanied by the voice of Marla Cannon-Goodman, dreaming of a beautiful country trip between beautiful landscapes and perfect imperfections that are part of everyone’s life.
Good listening,
Trex Willer by http://www.ticinonotizie.it
(you can find original italian article at this link : https://www.ticinonotizie.it/marla-cannon-goodman-perfect-imperfections-2021/ )
