New Album Review: Shovels & Rope- Manticore

Shovels & Rope- Manticore

Label: Dualtone

Producer: Michael Trent

My favorite couple in all of roots music launches their sixth proper album in the sensational, ramshackle fashion that they’re beloved for with lead single, “Domino”, a glorious batch of country, folk, and rock & roll delivered at a rapid-fever, punk-infused pace. It’s the deliciously diverse stylistic palate that has made the husband and wife duo of Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst one of the most reliable musical acts of the past decade. It’s a high bar to set at the onset of a project, but that lofty standard was already looming over their heads, thanks to an impressive run of vibrantly rustic and soulful albums dating back to their masterful 2012 breakthrough, O’Be Joyful. Manticore proves to have no issues matching that greatness, revealing another gripping body of songs that radiate with the duo’s signature brand of raw, honest lyrics married to the uninhibited chemistry and vocal magic created when they sing together. Case in point: the soul-wrenching show-stopper,”Bleed Me”, a perennial album highlight that is absolutely tear-inducing in all of its raw, unfiltered expression. It stacks up against any of the great, classic male-female duets from the early days of American music. That intangible dynamic is a thread through the entire record, which boasts some of their deepest and best-written compositions to date, with socially conscious narratives like “Collateral Damage”, “No Man’s Land”, and “Divide & Conquer” chief among them. Manticore is one of those well-rounded, passionate albums that checks off every box for the listener: it’ll make you smile, make you cry, and sing along to every word with rapturous, joyful release. So, basically, everything we’ve come to expect from Shovels & Rope.

Track Listing:

1. “Domino” (Michael Trent, Cary Ann Hearst)
2. “The Show” (Trent, Hearst)
3. “Collateral Damage” (Trent, Hearst)
4. “Bleed Me” (Trent, Hearst)
5. “Happy Birthday Who” (Trent, Hearst)
6. “Crown Victoria” (Trent, Hearst)
7. “Anchor” (Trent, Hearst)
8. “No Man’s Land” (Trent, Hearst)
9. “Divide & Conquer” (Trent, Hearst)
10. “The Human Race” (Trent, Hearst)