Listeners pining for more of the alt-country/indie-folky sounds offered by performers such as Margo Timmins, Hope Sandoval, and Chan Marshall could easily get sated by the new album from Mary Roth, the Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter who records and plays under the moniker HT Heartache. Together with the requisite digital option, Sundowner is currently available on vinyl in a limited edition of 400 copies, and it continues to essay the artistry set into motion on her 2010 debut.
The ambiguously named HT Heartache is but one component in Mary Roth’s broad résumé. Not only a singer-songwriter, she’s a model and actress, her work as the latter appearing in a slew of commercials for goods and services ranging from telecommunications to candy bars to car insurance. A sweet gig if one can get it, and in Roth’s case it has seemingly afforded an environment conducive to the pursuit of her musical goals.
This is not to infer that she is especially prolific; since she began writing tunes on her father’s guitar nearly a decade ago Roth has finished two records, an eight-song affair collecting her material up to ’08 titled Swing Low, and now Sundowner, a follow-up also holding eight-tracks that reinforces the moody qualities of her first effort.
As a country-derived artist, Roth has offered influences unsurprising (Emmylou Harris, George Jones) to less expected (Motown, namely Smokey Robinson, and ‘60s/’70s Soul/R&B in general) to pleasingly frank (a formative middle school obsession with the Counting Crows’ Recovering the Satellites). Upon listening to Swing Low however, HT Heartache exuded similarities to the Cowboy Junkies’ Margo Timmins and to a lesser degree The Greatest-era Cat Power and Mazzy Star.
Swing Low was a self-released album, a maneuver Roth has continued with Sundowner. Over the years the term self-released has signified numerous things in relationship to music, from a lack of competence to a dearth of value to being out of step with the era or ahead of the norm. And while a significant amount of the indie scene was fostered by Mom & Pop imprints, much of the movement was self-released, even if a makeshift label name was attached to hopefully lend cachet.
In HT Heartache’s example, self-released simply means Roth is completely in charge of the presentation and distribution of her output. And for all the potential benefits of such an arrangement there is a simultaneous risk, particularly in these days of Too Much Music, of slipping through the cracks. That hasn’t been the fate of Mary Roth thus far, but there are also a few troubling points.
For instance, Swing Low is a strong showing well-produced by her L.A. cohorts Gus Black and Sam Johnson, but it’s received nowhere near the audience it deserves. Plus, a search for HT Heartache on the once largely reliable resource AllMusic reveals bupkus; the majority of information on Roth found here was gleaned from an interview hosted on the website American Songwriter.
But these are merely observations; I certainly don’t want to give the impression of questioning Roth’s particulars of self-promotion. She’s acquired a nice level of support based upon her talent, and her second LP, completed with the assistance of multi-instrumentalist Christina Gaillard, will surely serve to increase her following.
Sundowner’s opener “Trenton” begins with a plucked-guitar oozing sustain as it mingles with the lonely call of a pedal steel. Roth has astutely self-described the aims of her country-informed sound as Down Tempo and Gothic (indeed, she ultimately has little in common with the Americana milieu), but while it is fitting to describe her work as an exploration into contemplative, occasionally melancholy moods, she smartly avoids the languid.
Roth’s compositions are imbued with intensity, “Trenton” propelled by simple, echo-laden drumming as the lushness of the vocals retains urgency. And from a lyrical standpoint it establishes a proclivity for storytelling that’s folky but not homespun. Taking the record’s possibly punning title into consideration “Trenton” still carries the aura of a bright and humid early AM after not enough (or no) sleep.
It effectively sets the tone for what’s to follow, though Sundowner does possess the necessary range, standout cut “Cowboy Poetry” emphasizing the strengths of Roth’s voice in slightly brisker surroundings while showcasing her substantial ability on her axe (bordering here on a folk-jazz psychedelia) as the tune’s weightiness gets accentuated through the forceful employment of a floor tom.
As elsewhere on the LP, “Soft Rain” profits from the closeness of the recording (Gaillard also produced); audible string friction is abundant as the track’s cymbal washes are skillfully absorbed in the mix, never becoming overwhelming. And while its dynamic shifts are distinguishing structurally, “Soft Rain” did remind me faintly of Low, an outfit like HT Heartache preferring to keep things in a more gradual setting.
“Darkside” intensifies the proceedings as it grapples with a classic country theme, specifically the capacity of all humans to commit good and bad deeds, though it tangles with this duality minus any period backsliding (as the percussion strikes my ear a tad like a washboard). It’s initially reminiscent of Mazzy Star before heading into the realms of hung-over sinner’s gospel.
The closest Sundowner comes to a rustic atmosphere is probably “Roam Cold Highway”; rather than affected old-timey ambience, as Roth executes some melodious fingerpicking her voice conjures thoughts of the aforementioned Harris and Timmins. And though it’s a road song I do detect an implicit trace of the Celtic.
Along with a hinting of Spanish guitar in its tight solo spot, the chorus of “Ruby” instills the tune with the imagery of a noirish femme fatale. By contrast, “Rose” is another light-infused cut featuring threads of nimble fingering and the return of pedal-steel near the end. The title track also serves as closing number, and like “Cowboy Poetry” and “Darkside” it finds Roth inhabiting a somewhat quicker pace, though it’s in no way a jarring adjustment in tempo. With attractive, gracefully impassioned singing and a slow instrumental fade-out, it ends Sundowner on an assured note.
As the above paragraphs should illustrate, Roth is a confident writer, able guitarist, and subtly powerful vocalist wielding a firm grasp on her intended ambiance. Her new LP manages to expand on the course mapped out on Swing Low, but while breadth is not an issue most of Sundowner’s highlights do come early.
This isn’t a major flaw. Instead, it’s just a modest lessening of overall impact, a matter compounded a little by the familiarity established via Swing Low. Of course, it might seem advisable for Roth to push against the boundaries a bit, but as her stuff’s more reliant on mood than melody, she’s in a tricky situation; diversify too much and the initial appeal could suffer.
On the whole, HT Heartache is a welcome entry in an emotionally achy post-country tradition that’s far from overpopulated, and if Roth keeps making records as solid as Sundowner her creative future is a promising one.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
