We’ve been featuring the gritty folk and country of Glass Cabin since their debut EP dropped in 2022. Now, it’s time for their latest full-length.
By Graeme Smith
The Nashville-based duo are as authentic Americana as they come. Their self-titled debut was a statement of intent, delivering an eight-track manifesto that I described in my review as “universal” with a clear point of view.
They followed that up with Glass Cabin 2 in 2023 which showed how their sound had developed. Their latest emmylou goes further, digging deep emotional wells while delivering the classic country sound we’ve come to expect.
A sense of lost love and heartbreak runs through the album’s eleven tracks, a theme established in early highlight That’s What Love Can Do and cemented by wistful moments like I Don’t Know and Didn’t Say. Broken Heart is another highlight thanks to its fire and defiance.
Other tracks explore struggling to get through (Nightcap), and second chances (As The Years Go By).
Real Bad Day is another highlight thanks to its dark groove and image-laden lyrics. It’s a track that will transport you with its storytelling. As is title track Emmylou with its vulnerable tale of reflecting on old flames and travels.
The album ends brightly with the soft and conciliatory Baby It’s Alright and the duo’s respectful take on the Fleetwood Mac iconic classic, The Chain.
Musically, things vary from hard-edged to smooth and regretful. The album is an easy listen, yet one with plenty of substance to mull over. Plucked strings meet melancholic chords while a gentle rhythm section moves things along. On top of it all are gruff, passionate vocals.
With Emmylou, Glass Cabin are showing their expertise in songwriting and production. It’s a beautifully put-together album, with the right balance of pathos, vulnerability, and old-fashioned grit.
I’ve made no secret of my respect for their sound over the past few years, and their latest album really elevates it. It’s their best effort yet and shows there’s still plenty more to come from them.
Glass Cabin are Jess Brown and David Flint. Native to The Catskill Mountains and upstate New York respectively, the pair met in Nashville having both moved there to work on other projects.
You can keep up to date with them via their website, or by following them on Facebook, X, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Emmylou is out now, and you can listen to it below.
Supported by Musosoup #SustainableCurator