April Cushman’s previous CD release The Long Haul proves a worthy effort. While The Long Haul does not elevate the art form of country music by adding new twists to standard formulas, it moves with rock and roll attitude and country heart. It’s the gusto and then the subtle minutes that keep one listening to this New Hampshire country girl.
Opening cut “Ain’t No Stopping You” finds Cushman belting it with a spirited attitude, a vocal approach that finds her feisty vocal rocketing past a fiery lead guitar and a punchy groove. Her catchy chorus ties the song together well lyrically as her support players made a mule kick impression.
“In A Small Town” moves at a fearless clip, Cushman’s vocal using assertiveness, sustains, and perfect inflections to make her point with an irresistible drive. Gritty banjo, greasy fiddle, and some fiery guitar keep things spinning like a tireless top.
“Once Upon A Time” shows Cushman singing gently, caressing her nostalgic lyrics about fairy tales and other childhood idioms. It’s a treat to hear her stretch her timbre, pressing out her themes with a sweetness, tenderness that impresses with its considerate presentation while remaining earnest, sincere, with plenty of heart.
Cushman continues her deep dive into sweet, tender waters with “Careful Now,” a cautionary tale about learning from love lessons as one travels through life. Cushman’s pristine voice moves with a caring ease through a landscape of emotive acoustic strumming and a pretty whistling lead guitar line. The support instruments shine like stars on a clear night, especially a drummer who keeps nudging this along at a considerate pace. Meanwhile, Cushman slides her voice home like its lifted up with its own pocket of air.
“Soundtrack To My City” swaggers in with a gripping rhythm and a wide swinging lead guitar phrase. This platform allows Cushman to let loose her tough honky tonk mama vocal. As her support players bust down a few doors with a thumpy groove, a simmering Hammond organ, and an incisive lead guitar drive, Cushman’s voice pushes as much as the players and it all adds up to a fun, action packed song.
“North Carolina” moves to a traveling vibe. We can feel this song taking us somewhere, as Cushman pushes it along with her mighty vocal projections, including sustains that grease her wheels ever further. One can imagine this song in a movie accompanying a scene where a character is riding a bus somewhere to get healing. It develops from a motivational groove, continues through with a forlorn emotion in its acoustic guitar strums, and in a ringing lead guitar phrase.
“Come Clean” shows how well Cushman sets a scene. Sweet rain drop acoustic guitar notes fall in tender dollops over a pretty electric guitar trail of notes. Amid this subtle picking, Cushman places her most heartfelt vocal on this album. Her voice is the beacon calling everyone in, a rendering of true feeling of what the song is all about before offering it back up for her listeners.
Cushman, on title track The Long Haul, places her rangy vocal right next to a slippery, unwinding lead guitar line. She contrasts well her soft, pliant vocal with a thin, bright lead guitar phrase. The contrast highlights the strength of each, her tuft of vocal pluck and the lead guitarist’s zippy, perky pay out.
Brittle twangy guitar lines weave a gossamer latticework of pretty sound on “The Girl Next Door.” A subtle rhythm section that opens up a lot of space for that guitar line slaps things forward with tasteful fills. From there, Cushman needs to emote with as much subtle aplomb. She pulls this off by using all of the gears in her vocal training to move her voice in perfect step with the slappy groove. She also makes it sound easy for her to go through her paces.
Close out track, “Take My Hand,” begins with a voicemail from Cushman’s dad congratulating her on her upcoming album. Here, Cushman winds her pretty voice around tufts of acoustic guitar work, moving her voice around considerate pauses in that acoustic line. This one impresses with its simple juxtaposition of a supple voice and a muscular acoustic guitar line.
Cushman has likely improved a great deal since The Long Haul was released three years ago. Revisited at this time of renewed interest in Cushman’s career, The Long Haul remains a solid document of where the artist was in 2021. She was standing tall.
