Shovels & Rope: Little Seeds review – outstanding Americana

Husband and wife duo Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst continue to raise dust on their third album in two years. Sonically it’s little different from its predecessors; a mix of unruly guitars, rattling drums and harmony vocals, with Hearst’s surging voice to the fore. Cut in their home studio, the album’s visceral quality – there even on its acoustic excursions – perfectly matches songs that confront such discomfiting topics as Alzheimer’s disease (Invisible Man), childhood medication (Johnny Come Outside) and the recent church massacre in their home town of Charleston, South Carolina (BWYR). The shadow of mortality hangs over This Ride (written after a friend’s death), where the duo conjure joy from darkness. Reflective and exuberant by turns, it’s an outstanding album.