Sweet Megg: Not as sweet as she thinks she is
Or not as sweet as you might assume. I was thrilled to have been sent the whole finished album of Sweet Megg's Never Been Home ahead of its release today, in time for the Indy 500. Enjoy!
Sweet Megg sometimes has a voice like Buddy Guy. It took me eight hours and a long sleep to realise that. Not quite totally female, certainly not male, she not only bends genres but she bends genders too. Megg is the real deal. She's the biggest country star you never heard of: she's been in Cirque du Soleil! And as a singer not one of those trapeze people. Cirque Creative Director, Daniel Ross, used an important word to describe her performance and it was depth. Everything about her is deep from her voice to her authenticity.
You can listen to Never Been Home on Spotify. You can support her on Patreon where you can even do live Yoga with her. You can also buy things on Bandcamp. Is she even real?
On Damaged Goods I am receiving Bob Dylan. Or a version of Bob who is able to really sing anyway. Megg is one of the reasons that sprawling label Americana had to be invented. She seamlessly blends blues, country and jazz in no particular order. She represents the very best of Americana. Every song is different. Every album is unique. Never Been Home is another step up.
There are songs in bars, songs on the move for driving, for sitting on a train or a plane or even a spaceship. This is real Country, grown up Country. She's not just another southern girl with a guitar and a speed obsession in a low place. The only low place she gets to is with her vocal range. Not that she's happy. Just she's not moaning on about life all the time. Her music makes you happy.
Sweet Megg is a genre-blending vocalist and songwriter. Originally from NYC and now based in Nashville, she’s traveled the world, honing her craft everywhere from Parisian jazz clubs to Southern honky-tonks.
Never Been Home showcases her signature mix of vintage influences with a modern edge. Piccadilly Line is the song that will bring a British audience to Megg. There's even a little announcement mentioning the Bakerloo Line, the line I know best, the wide brown skidmark from Harrow in the north to the Elephant in the south, famous for its gangs and crime for over a century. [Thank you for not plugging your awful book again. Ed.] It turns out that the choice of tube line is not important. Megg seems to like trains.
In This Train I had been hoping just a little for a cover of Sister Rosetta Tharpe's song. I learnt something today because I previously thought that it was a Woody Guthrie song. It's one of those country classics that has found its way into an unofficial all-American songbook. I was not disappointed. It is not a cover of that This Train but is just as good.
Canberra (Baby Blue) has been out for a week or so but is worth another listen. We find Megg eating cupcakes and dance-sitting in a chair, which is about the only form of dance I ever mastered. She's smokin' herself silly, sleeping on the back seat. So there's an auto. And a guitar. No god. But otherwise this is Grade A country brilliance. She is on a train again too. It's catchy, swingy and lovely. Just like Megg ha! This song was written while touring Australia, so Canberra is the context and also a state of homesickness.
PAUL DETTMANN
Head on the Wheel is a wonderful song. It's a little bit about knowing when to seek help in fighting your demons. Perhaps they can only truly be faced alone in the final analysis, but a hand held out to you by a trusted friend at the perfect moment can give you the courage to do so. It's not only a steering wheel but a wheel in the most general sense.
I have experienced a number of Whiskey Drinking Blues in my time and even when it is spelled without that "e". Megg addresses the drink as a friend, no, a romantic partner, and things are not going well. The night started full of hope but now the scotch has proved a fair weather friend. Is she literally on her knees? (Flashback to the last time I did this, and my intimate probing of the inside of a lavatory bowl on a wet night in Soho, London.) One thing is for absolute rock-on gold certain: never again. LOL. Never again!
Tennessee to Boulder caught my eye as well as my ear. It is a cowboy tune and you would expect a driving song. This has that chugging rhythm that a great driving tune requires. I could listen to Megg's voice for a whole month and still want more. Notice the destination: very specifically Boulder not Colorado. She is drinking again. She can still taste her partner's cigarettes or something else. Is she washing that person away or just looking for courage? Why did she leave? Is she running away from a relationship or towards a new opportunity? Never mind. Just enjoy.
There is a constant sense of movement and travel weaving through the whole of Never Been Home. I love that. This is a road trip that stretches to all corners of the world as Megg explored just about everywhere either with the band Postmodern Jukebox or the circus. I should add that it was the Jukebox's cover of Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill that first turned my head in Megg's direction, long before I knew of her other work.
I find as I come to the end of this piece a heaviness, a sadness. If you think about it, the whole idea of never having found a home is heartbreaking. It really is. But these are uplifting songs. Oh god. I haven't welled up writing one of these before.
The only "home" I've ever truly known is the ground beneath me and the air I breathe, until now. (Sweet Megg)
It's going to be okay: until now. She has finally found herself a home in Nashville. This whole enjoyable feast ends with a 57-second gem. The Button Song. Literally no idea but it's funny. I fear that at the end Megg gets abducted by aliens. This is value for money: there are 12 songs in addition to this little piece of fun.
Megg's NYC and European travels show in her music. Nobody who hasn't been to London can know this much about the tube network. I only wish she had chosen to settle in London. But then, would I have found her at all?
Don't just stream this little fucker, buy it on vinyl! So there! [Strong ending again. You got this dude. You OK? Ed.]
Never Been Home was produced by Mose Wilson & Dennis Crouch and recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville. After years touring with Postmodern Jukebox and leading a Cirque du Soleil country project, she’s back, ready to share her most personal work yet.
Author's Note
Just a nod to photographers everywhere. We all have our favourites. Each one of these Megg shots is by a different photographer. Note how different she looks in each one. The art of photography is subtle but adds something to a brand in a way that no other art form can. Yes, Megg is different in every one, but always a stunner.
Praise for Sweet Megg
These people actually have a lot of music business experience, unlike some other people. [WTF? Ed.]
“At a time when many are content to make content, Sweet Megg is truly an artist's artist. The depth of her knowledge about the history of jazz, blues, and honky-tonk styles is matched only by her ebullience and creativity as a performer. A unique talent.” Scott Bradlee - Creator, Leader, Postmodern Jukebox
“When I heard Sweet Megg live for the first time I was immediately awestruck by the authenticity and the depth of her performance. Everything about her conveyed a deep love and knowledge of the very essence of American music in all its forms.” Daniel Ross - Creative Director, Cirque du Soleil
"Sweet Megg’ refreshes these time-honored songs rather than clones the originals; her agility with modern swing feels gives her vocals a decidedly individualistic flair." Suzanne Lorge, Downbeat Magazine
"My Window Faces the South features 11 incomparable tunes by classic writers… New York City’s own youngster has Moxy as Megg Farrell captures the look, attitude, & music with finesse..." Americana Highways
"While staying true to the jazz sound, the band has a vibrant, unique sound of their own. Between Sweet Megg's impressive vocals and the talented band playing instruments such as the trumpet, saxophone, piano and more, you will feel like you are in another era." Ashleyan Lopez, AXS
"One look at one of their live gigs, and fun is the operative word. " Thomas Gerbasi, KO63 Music
"Time is an illusion. Sweet Megg & The Wayfarers sound as though they were plucked from a smoke-filled Prohibition-era speakeasy, rather than recently formed on the New York City music scene. " Diana Mumford, Monologging
