Review: Lori McKenna Shares Her Life Lessons

Lori McKenna/1988/CN Records/Thirty Tigers
4.5 Out of Five Stars

Abject nostalgia and a fondness for past life memories seem to be in vogue these days. Michelle Malone’s recent album 1977 time-stamped a period in her life when she firmed up her ambition to make music her mission. Now it seems to be Lori McKenna’s turn, as evidenced by the combination of contemplation and reflection woven throughout the tender tapestry of her new album, 1988.

McKenna stated that the record was, in fact, a revisit to her past, and brought her back to the first album she made when her career was still in its infancy. Like all of us, she wishes she knew then what she knows now, but regardless, it’s more or less a love letter to a bygone era and an attempt to reconnect with the optimism and inspiration found at that earlier time.

The title itself references the year she married her husband Gene, and as a result, there’s a shared sense of romance and gratitude infused in its emotions. Producer Dave Cobb provides his usual polish, giving each of these entries the clarity they call for while ensuring McKenna’s melodic sensibilities get the emphasis and allure originally intended. 

The result is a seductive series of moving and memorable songs, each an homage of sorts to that unpredictable and sometimes unsettling journey of life itself. Mostly, it shares satisfaction as expressed in the delicate and descriptive “The Old Woman In Me” (I’m a work in progress, she confides) and the easy and assuring “Happy Children.” The latter more or less sums up the sentiment at the heart of the album overall:

When you’re young, you wanna be old
When you’re old, you wanna be young…
I hope you find your true north
I hope you make your dreams come true
And you learn that the love you give
All comes back to youI hope you get up every time you fall
And you get back in again…

Not surprisingly, McKenna clearly seems content, and whether it’s through the steady stride of “Days Are Honey,” the uplifting strains of “Killing Me” or the earnest yet assertive title track, it’s her optimism that consistently shines through. That’s evident throughout, with “Growing Up,” “The Tunnel” and “The Town In Your Heart” driving that persistence home. And when she repeats the emphatic refrain shared in the title of “Letting People Down,” it’s not only a confession, but outright affirmation as well.

Ultimately, 1988 is an album that can easily resonate with anyone who readily reflects on the past while reconciling the lessons learned in the present and applying them to the future going forward. It’s hard to think of anything more meaningful, or, for that matter, more memorable as well.