Country singer and folk extraordinaire Torres is the project of Mackenzie Scott, a singer/ songwriter from Nashville, something you can tell very much informs her musical sensibilities. She has a style that puts her in a similar camp to our own Courtney Barnett with a tone in the deeper vocal range of goddesses like KD Lang, but the emphasis is always more on the music than the vocals.
The deep tones of Mackenzie Scott’s Torres is effortlessly engrossing , raw and poetic. So much that the wait for her new LP Sprinter is almost unbearable.
Torres released her debut self-titled album in 2013. She recorded the whole thing in her home town and the richness of her tracks speaks of a musical depth that would denote quality production values. Torres’ vocal stylings is a great combination of soft-spoken and delicate with raw, deep and unflinchingly heartfelt quite like Martha Wainwright.
Torres is one of those fine wine albums, the listener tends to appreciate the richness with time. However, any fan of country or bluesy folk will instantly be enraptured. The best part is that it doesn’t really conform itself to her own genre and midway through the album, she starts introducing more synth and electronic elements, which mixes well with the breaks in the music which is best displayed on the track Honey.
However, most of the album is predicated with an under laying lead and bass guitar which rarely overpower the vocals. Like all good folk, the album has a story to tell and, for the most part, Torres writes about her relationship. In fact, the album seems to be dedicated to her girlfriend and we are taken into their relationship – through the good times and bad. Who wouldn’t want to have a whole album written about them, right?
Her lyricism is beautifully constructed and walks the line between old-fashioned folk storytelling and a mystical, poetic style. For example on the track Honey she writes “Honey while you were ashing in your coffee, I’ll come back again”, which carefully treads the line between literal and metaphorical. She has a deep, milky vocality though, which whether or not you want to find the deeper meaning in the tracks, is perfectly reasonable to listen to and enjoy on its own. One of the best parts about her lyricism is that it’s quite refreshing to experience a whole love album which is not any way heteronormative.
If you’re a fan of folk, then I think you have found a whole new piece of musical back catalogue to engross yourself in. Her new album Sprinter is set for a May 5 release.
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