Rachel Lipsky is not quite what you’d expect. Out of that young frame comes a killer alto voice that makes direct confrontation with the speakers, and ultimately wins. She dominates any song she turns her hand to; drawing comparisons to the likes of Jennifer Nettles, Jo Dee Messina and Terri Clark, her twang, vocal and emotional strength is undeniable. In many ways she continues their legacies, their sass, sexual freedom and independence channelling through her and exploding in a blast of 21st century redneck narratives from the female perspective. Lead single ‘Bones’ is as revengeful as the likes of Miranda Lambert as it depicts Rachel digging a hole for a cheating boyfriend, helmed by the line, “I’ve got bones to pick with you”. It’s not just a venting of frustration and anger but an active threat, and the sung-spoken delivery extracts some of the prettiness of melody and makes this a far more hard-hitting track sonically. One thing’s for certain: Rachel is not someone to mess with.
She opts for lighter material on the remaining three tracks, but continues to promote a strong persona through the blue collar feminist anthem ‘I Feel A Sin Comin’ On’. Beset with fiddle and guitars and a pace fast enough to be compared to the Dixie Chicks’ ‘Sin Wagon’, it celebrates the freedom to do things you’re not supposed to, and with further references to the devil it’s clear we have themes of faith, darkness and sin running through and fascinating this artist. Rachel takes a more vulnerable stance on ‘Addicted To The Rain’ with an admittance of her weakness for someone who is ultimately bad for her, and the dramatics carry on through mentions of storms, wind and rain, all with connections to an almighty being wielding power. She changes things up musically for this one too, a bluegrass style guiding it as dobro echoes throughout the mix and she seems to call to the sky, perhaps begging for help and salvation, perhaps searching for forgiveness, or even some clarity.
But the Denver, Colorado native proves her ability at fun songs too, and ‘RedNekkid’ is certainly not a song I ever thought I’d hear. A play on words, it essentially describes the act of rednecks group skinny dipping out by the lake, and that initial shock and surprise factor of the racy subject matter (especially for country music) makes it memorable and allows it to stand out. She slips into this radio-friendly country rock sound effortlessly and is clearly able to sell both dark and light material to a high standard. Those comparisons to classic voices are warranted; and Rachel is only just beginning.
