Herrick, Baptized in Dirty Water
https://youtube.com/shorts/K73tH35zBHw?is=JYOcB85Lnb42XBJz
(Substack is being weird about embedding the video. If you don't see it, click on the link.)
My Facebook feed is constantly filled with musical artists offering free CDs in exchange for paying the postage and handling. Some of the music videos are really good, but I haven't had any way to listen to CDs. (Turns out almost all artists send you the digital files as well, but I never thought about that.) Having a mostly-random disc of music arrive in my physical mailbox just feels like fun to me.
A few days ago, I found a personal CD player on Woot.com for $7.99 and scooped it up specifically so I could buy indie music on Facebook.
One of my first purchases was What It Takes by Herrick. I had heard a little of "Baptized in Dirty Water" and couldn't wait to hear the rest.
I listened to the track on Spotify after I ordered the CD, and man, it did not disappoint.
The Phantom Riff
The song opens with a country-rock swagger that grabbed me from the first note and made me think this is a band I'll really listen to.
"I was born with a rusty halo/Whiskey tears and smoke-stained dreams/Mama prayed I'd find salvation/But I was knee-deep in the in-between."
That bit about the rusty halo created a visual in my head that I just can't shake, in a good way.
One Line That Haunted Me
As a writer myself, I'm a sucker for a good lyric. In fact, most of my favorite songs are favorites because of a single line I can't forget. The writing here is absolutely brilliant.
"Got a Bible full of folded pages/And a past I don't confess/I wear my guilt like Sunday linen/Wrinkled, torn, and second best."
This is so inspired. Not just the rhyme, which works really well, but the continuity between "baptized in dirty water" and "a past I don't confess." And the Bible full of folded pages really struck a chord for me because my daughter and I were just talking about highlighting Bible verses during sermons and never looking at them again.
Phantom Echo
I like to listen to the random associations in my head when I listen to new music, and when I heard Herrick, I thought of The Chicks. It's the mandolin, I think, and the fact that either band could transition to full-throated rock if they wanted to. Mind you, Herrick doesn't sound like The Chicks. They just sort of occupy the same shelf in my brain.
Sound Quality Note
I know some independent albums might have sonic limitations just because production isn't cheap. I'm always willing to overlook that, but Herrick's production is flawless. The soundstage is spacious, the separation is sharp, and the raw, throaty vocals sit forward and center just like I would expect.
Personal Thread
Almost 35 years ago I read in the paper that a new country artist was holding a free concert. I thought about going but didn't, because I had never heard any of her music. I've always regretted not seeing Shania Twain when she was starting out.
That's one reason I'm so interested in indie artists now. The other reason, of course, is that I just genuinely love music and I'm always looking for something new to listen to.
Looks like my next ghost might arrive in the mail for a few bucks.
Catch you in the echoes.
–A.