Alt-Country musician, Heidi Howe, is set to release her first album since 2007’s I Love Britney Spears. Howe has opened up for and played with many of today’s great alt-country stars, and the players on this record, Be Good, are amongst the finest as well. Reminiscent of singers like Dolly Parton, Howe’s strong voice and her smart, personal sense of lyricism, make her one of the greatest and most exciting musicians in country music today.
The music on Be Good is intensely personal to Howe, and it makes for country music more honest and true than most today about beer and pickup trucks. “If there’s a theme for this album, I suppose it’s addiction. My own addictions and those of other people I love and have loved. It’s not a recovery themed compilation of songs by any means, but my personal experiences have certainly influenced my writing,” say Howe. It’s clear its intended not only as a healing process for her, but it will likely hit a raw nerve for many others as well.
The song “The Ramones and George Jones” caught my attention immediately, and was the first step to getting me hooked on this album. It’s perfect for anyone who has ever created a religion out of Joey Ramone or has find themselves loving punk as much as they do country. The references alone will capture the heart of any Ramones fan, trying to pick them all out, and Howe also makes a great nod to the fact that both country and punk haven’t been as great since either the Ramones or George Jones but Howe comes close. It may sound funny to do a country tribute to the Ramones, but it works surprisingly well, and her tribute to the titular subject on “*Ryan Adams* Can,” is even better.
Be Good is another stellar album from one of the best musicians truly keeping real country music alive today. The album is set to be released February 2nd.
