Donna Hughes – Hellos, Goodbyes, and Butterflies
*** (out of 4 stars)
Label: Rounder
When an emerging artist gets their latest album produced by J.D. Crowe (and associate produced by Steve Chandler), then you know that the word is out. And the word is now out on Donna Hughes, whose new bluegrass album Hellos, Goodbyes, and Butterflies has an easy warmth to it that usually only appears in a live concert. Not that Donna Hughes is new to the scene; this is the fourth album from the songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist.
Donna Hughes has written almost all of the tracks on the album. Her ownership of them comes across in her nuanced delivery. Nothing here is forced or trying to prove a thing; the songs are strong enough to stand up to even the most casual delivery. Once in awhile I might wish for a different phrasing of a line, but that doesn’t detract from the goods. She doesn’t stress the vocals at the sake of the story her songs convey. In fact, there’s nothing stressful at all here. She is grounded, confident, and oh-so-easy to listen to.
For a singer/songwriter, Donna Hughes is blissfully free of the maudlin confessional obsession that usually suffocates the genre. She sings a song as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Because of this, the listener can be deceived by their simplicity. Take a song like “Jesse,” for example. It is a solid song that rolls along, incorporating one rhythm with another (sometimes silent) internal rhythm, as it tells the tale of an act of violence that perfectly fits the song’s key. The entire event (rhythm, key, instrumentation, lyric, vocals, harmonies) all blend seamlessly to present a singular emotional experience. If the emotion is pure and simple – so much the better. It’s always pleasing to hear a bluegrass singer not afraid to let the vocals blend with the other musical instruments.
Appearing on the album are some of the most talented and in-demand musicians around these days, including the incomparable Barry Bales, Adam Steffey, Randy Kohrs, Scott Vestal, Carl Jackson and Sonya Isaacs. They play alongside fiddler Jenee Fleenor, and the core of Hughes’ road band, Brian and Maggie Stephens.
Hellos, Goodbyes & Butterflies is a collection of 15 songs which shed light on or tell the truth to varying degrees about relationships. The melodies are original, yet they have a timeless quality to them. The plaintive “If I Had You” aches, gives and takes, and nearly breaks the heart. Then, there’s a song like “Mid-Life Classic,” which is just as strong in its own way as the emotional flip-side to “If I Had You.” Donna Hughes gives us an album full of seemingly contrasting songs that are all connected on a gut level.
Hellos, Goodbyes and Butterflies is a good introduction to an artist worth checking out. If you love bluegrass, you should start getting to know Donna Hughes. Her 2011 tour will be announced soon. To view Donna Hughes’ website, click here.
“Hellos, Goodbyes & Butterflies” Track Listing:
1. Cut Your Losses
2. Nothing Easy
3. Saying Hello
4. Dr. Jekyl
5. Butterfly
6. Jesse
7. Last Thing I Need
8. Losing You
9. God Don’t Make Mistakes
10. Mid-life Crisis
11. Autumn Leaves
12. If I Had You
13. Blackbeard
14. Longing For You
15. Better Apart
