Rating: 9/10

Wow, what a fascinating and captivating album! From the opening notes of “Parking Lot Pirouette,” with its spacey, atmospheric production and poetic lyrics about the constellations and Aquarius, I knew this was something different and special. I have worn out this album in the past week since it became an NPR First Listen, especially in the past two days since it became available to buy, and it’s one of those records where not only could I not wait to write about it, but I also had to force myself to sit down and write about it rather than continue to listen to it over and over instead. It’s one of those albums that is exactly the reason I do this, the reason that any of us do, because when music hits you like this, you just want to share it, and thank God for this outlet where I get to do that with you all. For the record, I haven’t been an Amanda shires apologist previously, and also for the record, this isn’t like any other album she’s yet given us. It’s not country or even Americana; this is a rock album, despite its apple Music label of “singer-songwriter.” But damn, is it a good rock album, and it reminds you just how much rock and country are similar in that both are beloved genres of American music marginalized and endangered in 2018.

I mentioned that opener, “Parking Lot Pirouette,” and it may be one of the best opening tracks of the year in terms of hooking me on an album and establishing the mood of the record. desire and sensuality run heavily through the songs of To the Sunset, especially in these first three. In this opening song, the narrator is seducing her lover in a parking lot, turning around and telling him, in response to his comment that she won’t get far, “you’re right, I’m not done with you yet.” “Swimmer,” recorded on a previous Shires album in a more country fashion, deals with the daydreams of a past love, but the echoes of desire are here too, as she sings of wishing he’d “come hover over me and speak something close to me.” And then there’s “Leave it Alone,” a highlight on a stellar album, where the vocal effects work to perfection as Amanda sings of finding new places on her lover’s body, and the desire that she can’t, well, leave alone. Shires’ MFA in poetry is on full display here; it is on much of this album, but it’s especially impressive and beautiful here because there are only so many ways you can write about sex, and she does so both elegantly and sensually.

And Dave Cobb deserves a world of credit for this effort in production; this almost seems outside the confines of his Dave Cobb ways, and yet in terms of making Amanda shires and her songs come alive in the best way possible, he absolutely excels here. This may be his best production I’ve ever heard as far as bringing out the best in an artist. The distortion works excellently on the hardest rocking track here, an instantly re-playable number called “Eve’s daughter.” The shakes and tremors in Amanda’s voice would come off as frail on certain songs, or if left too bare by the arrangements, but they work instead to enhance songs like “Break out the Champagne” and the aforementioned “Parking Lot Pirouette.” It is a great case of taking one’s vocal tone and using it as an advantage; I know Amanda Shires has been self-conscious of this vocal characteristic in the past, but it only serves to add character to these songs, and that’s both a credit to her finding the right style for her voice and to Cobb’s dedication to her vision.

I could go into more detail about these songs, but I’d be here until this time tomorrow night and miss my flight tomorrow morning. Also, I have something else planned, and I don’t want to defeat the purpose of that. But I can’t say enough about this record. If you are at all into rock music, particularly 80’s rock, or if you are at all into poetic, thoughtful songwriting, please check this out. What a masterpiece, and something truly unique and fresh. Yes, this album will definitely be there in the conversation when those December lists come around. Amanda shires should be extremely proud of this.

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