Of this record, Spillman says “I wanted to create an intimacy with the listener by creating an emotive space.” She succeeds in achieving this goal through her soft, understated vocals which matches the chilled mood of the arrangements. It also helps that the album was produced by her husband Neilson Hubbard and recorded in a home studio in Nashville.
The album title comes from a lyric in the album’s sultry lead single, Austin Motel written after a road trip with Hubbard from Nashville to Texas when they first started dating. Judging by Never Gonna Give You Up, a hymn to love and devotion, this relationship has flourished ever since.
Family plays a big part in the inspiration to the songs. Red Balloon is dedicated to her father and is defined by the ambiguous refrain: “I’ve been spending my life trying to let go of you”.Little Light Of Mine is a touching ode to her young son.
On a more solemn note, the beautiful final track, Go On And Fly,featuring a guest harmony by Garrison Starr, was written as her stepmother was dying of lung cancer. Spillman sang it at her funeral.
In a different vein Beyond The Blue conveys a pop-orientated optimism and the upbeat Breakthrough is the only track can be remotely be labelled ‘rocky’.
Summertime is the much covered torch song from Porgy & Bess, slowed down to lend it a very jazzy feel.
White River is a dark narrative about the plight of Cherokee Indians and shows that Spillman is capable of looking beyond the domesticated comfort zone of home.
All in all, the warmth of these compassionate songs comes through strongly. A great record to play to prolong a mellow, relaxed mood. A slow burn with a hint of fire in the belly.
