When I caught Lillie Mae, I was fresh off the high of seeing Tommy Stinson’s band Bash & Pop play at Hotel Vegas. As I bounded down Red River singing On The Rocks, I thought there was no way that Lillie Mae would hit those lofty heights.
She did and this album dies. Lillie Mae has been a performing musician since the age of nine, and Forever And Then Some sees her stepping out from Jack White’s touring band. The crux of this album is Americana but she seems to ease in and out of so many facets of the genre, sometimes within the same song, with such ease that you almost take for granted how stunningly talented she is.
There are numerous highlights throughout the album. Loaner is flat-out gorgeous weeper; reminds me of some of the beset heartbreaking tunes that The Everybodyfields put out a few years back. Her fiddle playing is out of this world on this track.
Over The Hills And Through The Woods shows off Mae’s feisty side. This was a highlight of her SXSW set and you can see why in the Conan video below. Honky Tonks And Taverns is a catchy upbeat weeper that feels radio-ready; you know if country radio didn’t insist on playing shit all the time.
During her set, my friend Scott looked over to me and simply said, “She’s the real deal.” I couldn’t agree more.
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Lillie Mae is here
