'Walking Proof' Review: Lilly Hiatt strikes perfect balance between rock and country, sorrow and joy
Lilly Hiatt recently released her fourth studio album, 'Walking Proof', which through a lovingly-curated collection of 11 songs, showed the talented songstress at her optimistic best and her vulnerable worst. As the daughter of the nine-time Grammy-nominated music legend, John Hiatt, Lilly Hiatt naturally had big boots to fill as she forged her own path as a singer-songwriter.
Her last studio effort, 2017's 'Trinity Lane' was a commercial breakthrough success and cemented her place as one of the finest Southern rockers of this generation. Although it chronicled Lilly Hiatt's coming to terms with the combined stresses of breaking up with her boyfriend, parting ways with alcohol, and dealing with her mother's suicide, it also saw her emerging out the other side as a stronger, wiser, and more confident musician, ready to bare her soul and write about what she was truly feeling.
This authentic approach to her songwriting has seen her attain new levels of serenity and maturity, and that's certainly evident in this new album.
Having completed a relentless nationwide tour in support of 'Trinity Lane', Hiatt found herself restless and still searching for her place and identity in the world. As every great artiste does, she channeled these soul-searching questions into her music, and over the course of a fruitful winter season, emerged with 25 introspective songs that helped her gain some fresh perspectives on life.
Aided by the talented music producer Lincoln Parish of Cage the Elephant fame, Hiatt started whittling these songs down to size and emerged with an intimate 11-track album that struck a perfect balance between her rock & roll persona and her family's country roots. More importantly, the process of writing and recording these new songs gave her a renewed sense of optimism and abundance.
“It’s crucial to live and let live, to be able to accept things for what they are,” Hiatt stated in a press release. “Coming to terms with those sorts of boundaries has inspired a lot of growth in me lately, and I’ve realized that it leads to better outcomes in relationships and in art. Things seem to bloom if you can just get out of your own way for long enough.”
Speaking of relationships, her father John Hiatt and some good friends like Aaron Lee Tasjan, Amanda Shires and Luke Schneider made some special guest-appearances on this album. Besides Lincoln Parish's prowess on guitars, keyboards, and the production console, Lilly also enlisted the help of guitarist John Condit, drummer Kate Haldrup, keyboardist Travis Goodwin and Robert Hudson on bass and mandolin to flesh out the record.
“The energy was electric in the studio,” Hiatt revealed about the recording process. “Lincoln’s a very intuitive person, and the sessions just felt like a bunch of old friends getting together. We developed a sense of trust early on that made everything totally comfortable and effortless.”
This cohesive vibe is evident from the very get-go. The opening track, 'Rae', is a sweet jangle-rock ode to Hiatt's little sister, Georgia Rae, softened by some dreamy harmonies and smooth guitar fills. "Sometimes I pretend this isn’t who I am / I throw caution to the wind and don’t give a damn / But I can’t get away / I know you’ve been there my sweet Rae / Nobody gets it like you do, Rae."
'P-Town' is a more straightforward country-rock affair, as Hiatt reflects with nostalgia and wry humor on an interaction that went sour — "I grabbed a coffee and I gave Paul a buzz / I said, 'I don’t think I’m who he thought I was.' / And we ignored each other that whole walk on the bridge / Don’t you hate when people say, 'It is what it is.'"
'Little Believer' revels in the glories of the best kind of romantic love, amid some delightful stabs of guitar and tremolo bar warping, as the song builds up to a rousing crescendo. "I’d die for you baby, can’t ya tell / I wanna be your little believer" coos Lilly Hiatt in this passionate, rocky number.
'Some Kind of Drug' features Hiatt's iconic father, John, on guest vocals, and appropriately enough, it features some of the best imagery and succinct songwriting on this entire album. The heartfelt song is a snapshot of fractured relationships set against the backdrop of a fast-moving, constantly-morphing cityscape.
"The veins of this city, so small and pretty / You couldn’t pump her up with some kind of drug / Her arms were open, wild-eyed and hoping / Somebody could give her that kind of love," go the yearning vocals, inspired by Lilly's first-hand experiences with homeless people in Nashville. “It made me think a lot about what we’re losing in this town, about who decides what constitutes progress and the pain that comes with it,” she admitted.
'Candy Lunch' is a lushly-produced country lullaby that talks about Hiatt's desire to be her own person, without having to alter her decisions for the sake of second-hand opinions and second-guessing herself. It's also about letting go and accepting that you can't always be in control of things — "Why does every boy I meet / Try to tell me how to live or what to eat? / I’ve always had a grip on it, I’ve always done my own weird thing / Sometimes that means I want candy for my lunch."
The title track 'Walking Proof' is another album stand-out. Featuring Hiatt's delightful voice and sublime, understated takes from the ensemble cast of musicians, the track talks about the wonders of an empathetic friend in this disconnected, lonely world — "I could tell you that it’s easy, but that wouldn’t be the truth / If you ever need to call me, well you know there’s walking proof."
'Drawl' is another soft, gentle track that reminds us it's the little things in life that make it all so charming and worthwhile — "You’re beautiful and you don’t know it / And I try not to stare when you walk in / I know you’ve lost some friends / Don’t you ever lose that drawl again."
'Brightest Star' ventures back into upbeat rock territory as Hiatt waxes eloquent about how the most beautiful souls will always mean the most to her, regardless of outward appearances — "So just shine / Don’t worry about that other guy / He just got the right tattoos / The brightest star in my whole sky is you."
'Never Play Guitar' is a lovely Southern rock number about the songwriting process — about channeling one's isolated and empty feelings into a piece of art that is brimming with meaning and vitality — "Baby paint your cheeks up, tell 'em who you are / No, I can’t write a song if I never play guitar."
'Move' is a short & sweet, earnest missive to someone who has perhaps employed so much escapism in their life that they don't know how to confront reality anymore. Lilly Hiatt lovingly tells them "You’re scared as s**t /You don’t wanna deal with it / But you’re gonna have to learn how to deal with it / The only thing you know how to do is move."
The closing track, 'Scream', is a haunting, melancholic, intimate closure that talks about the perils of always putting somebody's needs above your own, to the detriment of your own joy and satisfaction. But the song ends on an older, wiser note — "I want somewhere that’s just my own to scream / And I ain’t slowing down for nobody."
In the best American tradition, these tender 11 country-rock vignettes are filled with heartbreak and yearning, a sense of being lost and found, songs of joy and peace. It's a sure-footed step in the right direction for Lilly Hiatt and a powerful showcase of her ever-increasing wit, valor, and wisdom.