Lizzy and Fancy: Albums by McAlpine and Hagood:

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 Two albums I’ve been enamored with in the last week.


Want to share two albums that have reached an exceptional place of high regard with me recently. 


They both excite and impress me for their singer-songwriter skills, and their deceptively uncluttered-sounding productions. 


They don’t have obvious “hits”, but there isn’t a clunker or any filler on either album — which is a relatively rare accomplishment itself. 


Lizzy McAlpine ~ Five Seconds Flat ~ April 2022


Links to listen at:


Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/7vh3nkUP7HlDQIeSm7Ht6N?si=p1gufhHpQXm5LAgqLDxPbQ


Amazon Music:

https://music.amazon.com/albums/B09QC16VHZ?ref=dm_sh_xIvZnza6lvTIA36cb1Hl2yJTe


Fancy Hagood ~ Southern Curiosity ~ April 2021 (Yes, 2021)


Hagood is gay. (Lizzy isn’t Q, and, as you, dear reader, may know, I specialize in “Music By, For, and About QBGLT Folks”). And he’s taking a matter of fact tone about it here. 

Like I said, uncluttered-seeming production supports strong songwriting. One clue or criteria I use for quick first impressions of songs: How many of the songs’ lyrics begin with “I”? Hagood’s album only has one-half of one, so to speak: one song begins with “I’m “. 


Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/2VamwwkO7Y0ECHwyNvEIFr?si=3gxfi5OxR9yuezsdxmirmw


Amazon Music:

https://music.amazon.com/albums/B08WJYFNFZ?ref=dm_sh_BRwLj3idIN2MjK4KrHcDfdru6


This year, he also released two singles that are more hit-oriented — and are what prompted me to search out his previous album. 


Bored 

(Credit Samantha Bee’s booking Hagood to play it on Full Frontal for alerting me to his new music)


Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/track/2In2EZDnS9jPScxdgx8axv?si=rC8HTXTHRWiqXnnmcuGqmw


And, amazingly, a duet with Kacey Musgraves (! of all people: and Wow, that’s a big “get”), 

Blue Dream Baby


Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/track/2cHjdUBcdnnCGdubhCmLbM?si=xHCeRgSaR-yypBwVQiQwKA


I’m not over my obsession with Frank Turner’s FTHC, 

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/0iJXDWIGaGm6bLmhK6Efj8?si=_2YDVENLTHW9fCqpIUk82Q


Amazon Music:

https://music.amazon.com/albums/B09FPQ6V3J?ref=dm_sh_W8gSO3MxMFNavuUnhLGoDvvTR


but I do listen to a lot of other things, and these have risen to the top of my informal esteem list (making that up in the moment, rather than say something clichéd) this week. 

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