Mac Cornish

January’s a great month for reaching back through the year, cleaning out the corners and crevices of the past 12 months to find those musical treasures that got overlooked. I’ve been finding a few lately and one of the most sweetly stung is this sophomore album from Mac Cornish. There just seems to be something swirling in the waters of Portland. While Nashville seems the obvious choice and L.A. nabs the Canyon Country climbers, the Northwest has proven to be pretty fertile ground for the new country class these days. From Rose City Band to Kassi Valazza, Steel Fringe to Jeffrey Silverstein, it’s been a wellspring over the past few years. Add to the list Cornish, who recorded this album while in residence in the city. Truth be told, though, Mac connects the dots on the map, growing up in the California hills and decamping to Portland before a recent shift towards the streets of Nashville.

All three cities pull at the pieces on Never Made Much of a Lover. Cornish digs into the more traditional roots of country, feeling at home with Nashville crooners like Erin Rae or Emily Nenni. Yet, there’s a bit of that Canyon Wind coursing though the record, making her a comfortable contemporary with Valazza or Emily Rose. Comparisons aside, Cornish has carved her own shrouded corner of folk and country. The record digs into death, family, pain, and on the excellent closer, societal expectations. The record’s a country Trojan horse, dressed in embroidery and fringe but cutting far deeper under the surface. It’s a record that may well have slipped your view in 2024, so here’s to catching up late.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.