The aptly named
Saturn Return sees
the Secret Sisters (
Laura Rogers and
Lydia Slagle) working once again with co-producer
Brandi Carlile and the Hanseroth twins (
Phil and
Tim), all of whom also perform on the LP. Taking its name from an astrological event that takes place approximately every 29-and-a-half years,
Saturn Return hews closely to the evocative, Southern gothic swoon of its predecessor, 2017's splendid
You Don't Own Me Anymore, but it does so with the dividend of confidence that the latter effort had to earn. Saturn is also the Roman god of renewal, and the Alabama siblings, who lost both their grandmothers and became first-time mothers between records, are reflecting on the cruelty and sweetness of life with pens dipped in ink that has been tempered by the bittersweet period in which they were brandished. The ten-track set commences with the rousing and big-hearted "Silver," a Celtic-tinged country-folk rocker that declares "Look upon your mother and the silver in her hair/consider it a crown the holiest may wear." Its sonic muscle echoes the bluesy swagger of
You Don't Own Me Anymore opener "Tennessee River Runs Low." "Late Bloomer" and "Nowhere Baby" emit a sunset country-soul patina, evoking "Landslide"-era
Fleetwood Mac, while the airy indie pop gem "Hand Over My Heart" glides along via tasteful electronic flourishes and ardent handclaps. Elsewhere, the sparely lit "Fair" charms with its golden folk-era sincerity, while the brooding "Water Witch" sounds like a
Flannery O'Connor-inspired rendering of
the Animals' "House of the Rising Sun." Closing out the proceedings is the consolatory "Healer in the Sky," a soft country hymn that, like so much of the rich and understated
Saturn Return, is spilling over with heart and hard-won wisdom. ~ James Christopher Monger
