Haw
Haw brings country, blues, folk and soul into a sound that feels connected rather than neatly divided into styles. The traditional forms are familiar, but the arrangements have enough unusual turns to make the record feel alive and slightly unsettled.
Red Rose Nantahala makes a strong opening. Its blues guitar character and active bass give the song a loose, appealing movement.
Sufferer (Love My Conqueror) creates a stranger atmosphere. The voices, strings and occasional horn colour give its country setting a darker edge. The arrangement supports the uncertainty in the writing, making spiritual questioning part of the song's character rather than a separate message placed over it.
I've Got a Name for the Newborn Child offers a more welcoming change of mood. Acoustic picking and a shuffling snare support a clear chorus, giving the album an immediate moment of warmth. Sweet as John Hurt also has a strong sense of movement, with electric guitar and pedal steel adding colour around Taylor's drawl.
Devotion slows the pace considerably. Its melancholy atmosphere shows how effectively the music can hold attention without hurrying towards a larger chorus. The song asks for patience, but its weight makes the slower movement worthwhile.
Cheerwine Easter brings in a different shade of country soul. The steady beat and low saxophone give it a distinct place in the sequence, broadening the instrumental range without breaking the album's connection to its roots.
That range does not make Haw an immediate record throughout. Several of its quieter or more conventional arrangements need time to separate, and the slower passages can reduce the momentum. Yet the careful playing gives those songs more substance than a first impression might suggest.
Haw works because the musicians treat older forms as material they can still explore. It is an absorbing Americana record with a strong character and a thoughtful balance between comfort and uncertainty.
