- Red Blues -2002-: Mary Coughlan

★★★★☆ (A mature, masterful work that rewards patient listening.)

Mary Coughlan once said, “I don’t sing songs, I tell stories.” On Red Blues , the stories are heavy, the whiskey is neat, and the truth is the only thing on the table. Listen with respect, and a box of tissues nearby. Mary Coughlan - Red Blues -2002-

If you’re looking for a starting point with Coughlan beyond her iconic 1985 debut Tired and Emotional , Red Blues is a perfect, poignant entry. Forget the big, brassy production of some of her earlier work. Red Blues is an album of smoky cabarets and lonely bedrooms. The production (handled by Coughlan and her longtime collaborator Erik Visser) is sparse and deliberate. Instruments—a mournful saxophone, a lonesome pedal steel, a hesitant piano—are given room to breathe around her voice. The album feels like a conversation overheard at 2 a.m., after most of the crowd has gone home. Forget the big, brassy production of some of