Wendy DuMond's "Pretty Penny" Glimmers with Cosmic Americana Soul
Wendy DuMond's latest offering, "Pretty Penny", is not a song—rather, it is a spell. Whispers the wind through a field of wildflowers and the sting of love turned aside, DuMond weaves a universe in which country heartache collides with sun-baked mysticism. This is no simple tale of competition; it is a slow waltz through heartache, loveliness, and betrayal, injected with the verse of Laurel Canyon's golden era and the complexity of classic country narrative.
Shepherding with her gentle voice and the thwack of washboard rhythms, DuMond grounds "Pretty Penny" in down-home beauty. Stroking acoustic strings shine beneath her like stardust on dusty boots, as co-conspirators Tom Wolf (mandolin and harmonies) and Don Sechelski (guitar, bass, and production) weave golden threads throughout the song. There's a retro soul to the sound, but the emotions pulse with modern vulnerability—raw, thought-provoking, and inescapably human.
Lyrically, "Pretty Penny" explores the expense of love and cost of comparison. With a razor wrapped in velvet, DuMond sings, "the change that you are making is turning on a dime, dear"—a statement that resonates like a truth we've all known but never dared to say out loud. Behind the silky harmonies and otherworldly instrumentation lies a fierce insistence, a gentle reclamation of self-value. It's not a story song—it's a song that challenges you to feel every turn of every page.
Kacey Musgraves, Emmylou Harris, Weyes Blood, and Jenny Lewis' listeners will see a familiar glaze here, but "Pretty Penny" stands alone. It is a sunset treasure in the realm of Cosmic Americana—a genre-defying, heart-widening journey that persists like the dying day. With Wendy DuMond, love's old wounds are reconfigured into something luminous.
Comments
Post a Comment