Amanda Shires- Nobody’s Girl
Label: ATO
Producer: Lawrence Rothman
When Amanda Shires and Jason Isbell finalized their divorce this past spring, it marked the split of the golden couple in the Americana music scene, and in many ways signaled the end of an era that brought that movement to its highest levels of mainstream prominence to date. Of course, as soon as the news broke, music fans immediately began speculating as to how the separation would inform future records by both artists. But, let’s be honest: most of the anticipation was surrounding the fact that it may lead to Isbell specifically releasing the kind of raw and devastating release that would rival 2013’s Southeastern, his inarguable magnum opus. What we received instead was March’s Foxes in the Snow, a stellar but certainly subdued all-acoustic outing that used the divorce only as an occasional touchpoint, rather than the central anchor of the release. Meanwhile, here comes Shires with her ninth solo album, which undeniably proves to be the Southeastern-worthy divorce record we expected from her ex. Prior to this, Shires had already assembled a rich body of work, however this release proves to be a pivotal dividing line that transcends her catalog to new levels of impressive greatness.
The gorgeously chilling introduction piece, “Intro: Invocation” sets the mood and stage perfectly for what’s to come on Nobody’s Girl: a wave of startling emotions that range from devastation and anger, to numbness and bitterness, to defiance and resilience. Shires and returning producer, Lawrence Rothman craft a remarkably haunted soundscape that proves to perfectly encapsulate all of this emotional weight. Vocally, she’s always possessed a uniquely trembling teardrop chirp; a classic country songbird quality that recalls the magic of women like Dolly Parton and Lee Ann Womack. And with the material on this album, that quality is given its greatest opportunity to date to maximize its power. These are some of the most beautifully ominous vocal performances I’ve heard in many a cryptic moon–if ever, and Shires expectedly pairs it with her illustrious instrumental skills, with her signature fiddling sounding as emotionally resonant as ever before. Listen to “Lately” for just one of many examples, where she provides one of the most expressive and unexpectedly devastating vocal turns of the year: “How’m I doing? I don’t know/Just here listening to Billy Joel/The Stranger album, trying to change my mood/Fight the blues with more blues.” Listening to that record won’t ever hit you the same way again.
But the most impressive component of Shires’ lethal triple threat certainly proves to be her excellence as a lyricist. Her pen has always been special, and every bit as much on the level of her famous former husband, for whom she’s too long been perceived to be a sidepiece. From the moment “The Way It Goes” gets underway, we’re transfixed and hanging onto every single shattering lyric she delivers throughout the record. And if you were thinking she wouldn’t go there, well there aren’t many aspects of her marriage or divorce that Shires doesn’t explore lyrically. Gutting moments like “The Details” (“You erase the details in our history/No matter how clear I keep the memories/You rewrite them so you can sleep”) or the defiantly spitting rock rager, “Piece of Mind” (If you think I could ever hate you, you’re wrong/But that was a real fucked up way to leave/’Bout buckled when I heard and saw/You on the ring cam whistling/Broke everything we built/And left me to just deal with it”) leave nothing on the emotional table. Elsewhere, she even references Isbell’s most heralded musical moments (“Cover Me Up” chief among them) and the fact that none of it would have happened if she hadn’t single-handedly rescued him from the brink of addiction, a fact that Isbell himself has always acknowledged.
It should be noted that she walks that very fine line of vengeful bitterness and messy but graceful honesty with aplomb and integrity. She doesn’t pull punches, but also never allows Nobody’s Girl to devolve into feeling akin to a slanderous hatchet job or smear campaign against Isbell. This is simply her story and the declaration of her own agency, and a sterling reminder that she has the right to tell her story as much as Isbell or anyone else going through a similar life loss. Their fans don’t have to choose sides, but rather just find the beauty in the music that both have created in the aftermath of their relationship. They both offer gripping stories and alternative solace and perspective, for anyone navigating or mourning a similar experience in their own unique way.
And more than anything, this record is about Amanda Shires’ own recovery and self-discovery in the process. These are the true central anchors of the record, rather than the dramatic details of her specific feelings for Isbell. It doesn’t provide the tidy and inspirational conclusion that many listeners may long for in such a somber story. The one-two punch of closing numbers “Can’t Hold Your Breath” and “Not Feeling Anything” are perhaps the most numb and harrowing moments of the entire record, but they also may rank among the most potently honest and authentic. Besides, there is a lingering sense of cathartic hope to be found in the mere fact that she emerged from her pain to even reflect all of these emotions at all.
Nobody’s Girl is not just one of the best break-up albums of its generation, but one of its finest albums, period. This is Amanda Shires’ masterpiece. It’s utterly sad that she had to go through such pain to realize it. But, a way it goes for most of the many similar masterpieces found throughout the annals of popular music.
Track Listing:
- “Intro: Invocation” (Amanda Shires, Lawrence Rothman)
- “A Way It Goes” (Shires, Rothman)
- “Maybe I” (Shires)
- “The Details” (Shires)
- “Living” (Shires)
- “Lose It For A While” (Shires)
- “Piece of Mind” (Shires)
- “Streetlights and Stars” (Shires)
- “Lately” (Shires, Peter Levin)
- “Friend Zone” (Shires, Rothman)
- “Strange Dreams” (Shires)
- “Can’t Hold Your Breath” (Shires)
- “Not Feeling Anything” (Shires)
The 706 
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