Kristina Murray, a regular fixture on Nashville’s trad-country scene, is set to release her new album Southern Ambrosia on September 21.
The album, which was produced by Michael Rinne (Caroline Spence, Kelsey Waldon, Erin Rae), celebrates the dark Romanticism of the American South while also grappling with some of its thornier cultural ills.
A regular at Honky Tonk Tuesdays at the American Legion in East Nashville, Murray is a serious devotee of old country (as the new record clearly attests), but the album is also trimmed with Allmanesque Southern rock and elements of Mississippi hill country blues.
Below, you can get a taste of her sound with the album’s first single, “Lovers And Leavers.” Here’s what Murray had to say about the song:
“The first line of this song, ‘Saw a three legged dog two times in one week,’ actually happened to me. I remember when I saw the second dog, I thought, ‘Well, I guess that’s some kinda sign!’ [Editor’s note: the writer met a three-legged pitbull mere hours before writing this post.] The song fell out of my brain pretty quickly from there.
‘Lovers and Liars’ plays on a strong thematic element threaded through the record, one that questions blind faith in God, money, and love, and the repercussions of giving yourself wholeheartedly to these perhaps foolish things. The unique and groovy percussive element, and the blistered harmonica work give this song a swampy, humid feel. I picture some sweaty sinnin’ folks dancing too close together in a blues juke-joint somewhere down in Mississippi. The cherry on top of this lil’ Delta-blues sundae is my sweet friend Miss Tess’ harmonies next to my lead.”
Listen to “Lovers And Liars” below.