Planted firmly in the space between Kathleen Edwards’s heartfelt storytelling style and Bonnie Raitt’s bluesy influence, Romi Mayes mercifully resists the trap that too many female roots artists fall into. Guys get to be raw, gruff and unpolished, but women don’t often get the same consideration. Typically, whoever is producing the record decides to pretty up the music, and in doing, so sucks all the life out of it. Mayes certainly has a great voice and knows how to write a sweet song (“Something Goin’ On” being a prime example), but the best moments on Achin in Yer Bones subvert the sweetness with searing solos, eerie atmospherics or stripped-back-to-nothing arrangements. Overall, the album is still too hi-fi to really get down and dirty, but Mayes is a strong enough writer and vocalist to make the most of her 12-bar blues.
Mayes will perform at The Ironwood on Friday, March 27.
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