CD Review: Luanne Hunt – Portraits In Song
by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International
1. It Was Always You
2. Ozark Mountain Morn
3. Two Angels Fly
4. Midnight Rain & Roses
5. The Butterfly Effect
6. Cooked
7. Ain’t No Way to Win in Dixie
8. He Played His Music
The US singer-songwriter Luanne Hunt’s accoladed and exemplary 27-year music career has thrived through her grassroots support, staunch internet fanbase, bewitching talent, and perseverance in her endeavour to strive for excellence. She has topped independent country music charts across the globe, been Grammy balloted twice and went viral with her song Christmas Without You.
Now, she is here with her 21st studio album, Portraits in Song, which was released worldwide on February 1st, 2022. Right off the modern country meets folk rock bat, you’re instantly immersed in the opening single, It Was Always You, which gives a stunningly ardent retrospective account on love while playing with operatically fantastical textures. Her instantly warming air never drops in temperature throughout the LP. It gets even brighter in Ozark Mountain Morn, which unravels as a modern indie ode to bluegrass and as a testament to her ability to paint aural portraits with her narrative lyrics and panoramic production style.
Every single is as versatile and universally enamouring as the last. Yet, Midnight Rain & Roses strikes you as the ultimate triumph on the LP as it throws you right back to the blissful tonal signatures of the 60s and 70s era of folk-rock while still carrying Luanne Hunt’s embellished and elaborate sonic style. While the overarching theme of Portraits in Song is affection and romantic affliction, there’s something incredibly empowering about Midnight Rain & Roses as it smashes the archetypal mould by focusing on the magic that lives inside of us all. Luanne Hunt penned the lion’s share of the music, with the exception of the serenely sweet panoramic single, The Butterfly Effect, that was written by the profoundly talented Greg Mathews and Bill O’Hanlon. Portraits in Song also features a number of luminary instrumentalists, including Wilson Woodyard (guitar), Heitor Lima (drums), Aaron Locklear (ukulele), Hal Ratliff (keyboards), Jordan Grigg (strings), and Brian Daniels (fiddle).
From country traditionalists to 70s rock afficionados to fans of cinematic indie country ballads, Portraits in Song, caters for all tastes and aural inclination while acting as 27 minutes
of sheer Nashville-style escapism.
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1T3zUeucvf4dd0stbNF2NS?si=Wuof4pcDTiy2002p5mzuWw
Website: https://www.luannehunt.com/portraits-in-song
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/luanne-hunt
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