Boygenius member and solo artist Julien Baker and singer-songwriter Torres, real name Mackenzie Scott, have been creatively compared with each other for years. Both grew up in the South, queer kids in devout Christian households, surrounded by the intrinsically woven culture of country music. Though they initially bristled against being labelled as the ‘queer, Southern musicians’ – not to mention the fact that their solo music sounds markedly different – the heavy thematic crossover makes them an obvious creative fit.
Though the duo could’ve easily opted for the hooky, country-pop approach of legends like Shania Twain and newer flag bearers such as Chappell Roan, ‘Send A Prayer My Way’ instead opts for familiarity and a more vintage sound. Many of these songs are laden with the warm hum of strings, gently strummed guitar, and Scott and Baker’s duetting voices.
Far from departing from country’s traditional songwriting structures and lyrical conventions, this album heartily embraces them. While a poppier take on country is undeniably having a moment right now – even Beyoncé hopped on the bandwagon last year – Baker and Scott draw from the classic singer-songwriters who used and subverted the genre: Loretta Lynn’s trailblazing song ‘The Pill’ comes to mind, alongside Tammy Wynette’s ‘D-I-V-O-R-C-E’.
Scott and Baker are two formidable lyricists, but country’s tried-and-tested conventions do not always showcase this. Though ‘Tuesday’ simmers with shame and self-loathing, some lines feel crammed into its slightly prescriptive framework at lightning speed, the additional syllabes feeling oversized. The less said about the closing line (“If you ever hear this song, tell your mama she can go suck an egg”) the better.
Elsewhere, though, ‘Send A Prayer My Way’ welcomes plenty of playfulness, and shows a deep love and knowledge of country conventions. “I never met a sin I’m above tryin’,” Baker quips on the dark-humoured ‘Tape Run Out’. ‘Goodbye Baby’ starts with Scott beginning a lewd joke about the difference between jelly and jam (“I’ll tell you off mic,” they say of the punchline). Though ‘Sylvia’ initially feels like a country love song, it’s actually addressed to Scott’s adopted dog of the same name, and is inspired by hearing Dolly Parton’s ‘Cracker Jack’ on the radio when they both arrived home.
As country music continues to enjoy something of a comeback, the duo’s take on an incredibly storied genre offers up something new and original. Though ‘Send A Prayer My Way’ doesn’t always grip you with the immediacy of either Baker or Scott’s respective solo careers, it’s still refreshing to hear two very well-established songwriters exploring such distinct new territory together.
