The Weakness [Holy Silver LP]

by Ruston Kelly

Overview

Don't call The Weakness a divorce record. It may arrive after Ruston Kelly's divorce from Kacey Musgraves -- a separation she documented herself on her 2021 album Star-Crossed -- and it may even contain a few tracks chronicling that split, but it's not designed as an extended wallow in misery. It's a rebirth, the sound of a singer/songwriter moving out of the darkness and into the shadows, if not quite the light. Kelly seems at home in murky, moody introspection, but where his previous albums favored slow, sometimes sparse interior journeys, The Weakness pulsates with the steady glow of a lava lamp. Some credit has to go to Nate Mercereau, a producer who previously worked with Lizzo, Leon Bridges, Shawn Mendes, and the Weeknd who serves as Kelly's full collaborator here, co-producing the record and playing any instrument the singer/songwriter didn't. The pair mimic the sound of a full band by focusing as much on the margins as the center, decorating Kelly's plaintive melodies with echoes and instrumental washes, arrangements that add texture and suggest some depth. Although the subdued atmosphere and murmured vocals pull The Weakness firmly toward nocturnal territory, this is neither dour nor monochromatic. As it runs through its 12 songs, the album quietly, subtly shifts its tone, finding space for absurd humor and hard-won comfort alike. If Kelly's jokes can seem a bit stiff -- the central stoner conceit of "Michael Keaton" is too silly for its own good -- the botched punch lines nevertheless seem as humanizing as his pain, helping to give The Weakness a welcome emotional complexity. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	12/15/2023
Label:	Rounder
UPC:	0888072501232
Rank:	71705

Tracks

1. The Weakness
2. Hellfire
3. St. Jupiter
4. Let Only Love Remain
5. Michael Keaton
6. Mending Song
7. Dive
8. Breakdown
9. Holy Shit
10. Better Now
11. Wicked Hands
12. Cold Black Mile

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ruston Kelly   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Ukulele,Synthesizer,Baritone Ukulele,Guitar (Baritone)
Jarrad Kritzstein   Vocals
Nate Mercereau   Bass,Drums,Flute,Organ,Guitar,Violin,Vocals,Zither,Autoharp,Mandolin,Sampling,Harmonium,Keyboards,Mellotron,Percussion,French Horn,Synthesizer,Glockenspiel,Slide Guitar,Fretless Bass,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Tenor),Synthesizer Drums,Guitar (Synthesizer),Keyboard Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Matthew Koma   Composer
Jarrad Kritzstein   Engineer
John Chong   Composer
James Krausse   Mixing
Ruston Kelly   Composer,Engineer
Calvin Knowles   Composer
Sage Lamonica   Art Direction
Aidan Thillman   Mixing Assistant
Juan Soloranzo   Composer
Paul Blakemore   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Bill Malina   Engineer
Gary Paczosa   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Tim Kelly   Composer
John Feldman   Composer
James Kirk   Assistant Engineer
Nate Mercereau   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Programming,Drum Programming,Recording Producer
Alysse Gafkjen   Photography
Bryan Dawley   Composer