Common Nation of Sorrow

Americans are angry. The signs are hard to miss. Bluegrass and old-time banjo music are good for expressing these discontents, as Baiman does on her third studio album, with its Woody Guthrie-esque title, Common Nation of Sorrow, echoing that of the traditional folk song ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’.

Unsurprisingly, Baiman's politics sit far to the left of Donald Trump, but her charm is that her music wears her politics lightly. She focuses on the human and the everyday, and while some of the later tracks verge towards cliché, at her best – as on ‘Annie’ and ‘She Don’t Know What to Sing About Anymore’ – her knack for an infectious hook and a turn of phrase at once mundane and devastating sets her apart.

Just like her 2017 debut Shame, her latest album has plenty of foot-tappers that will get trapped in your head. This self-produced album features a host of musicians including Miles Miller on drums and Riley Calcagno on banjo and guitars. Baiman's lightness of touch is exemplified in the whistling, the handclaps and her counting the band in, which give the record a raw, loose and easygoing air. It's proof that no matter how hard the times, there's always music to soothe your soul.