Waxahatchee – Tiger’s Blood

Sometimes you need to see an artist live in order to get it. For example, seeing Springsteen live at the St. Paul Civic Center in November of 1978. I recently witnessed Waxahatchee live at a music festival and was blown away. Now, when I listen to Tiger’s Blood, I get it.

Waxahatchee is a musical project of singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield. It started as an acoustic solo project but has evolved into a full band on recordings and in concert. On a paper, Waxahatchee checks a lot of my musical boxes:

• Female singer-songwriter
• Folky/Americana genere
• Crutchfield is an Alabama native, as are some of my favorite musicians (clearly, there is something in the water): Brittany Howard/Alabama Shakes, Jason Isbell, Sun Ra, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Emmylou Harris, etc.
• She has a distinctive voice like her musical inspiration Lucinda Williams (whose music Crutchfield describes as being “printed on [her] soul”

I am not sure why it took me so long to get into her music, but now I am all in.

Tiger’s Blood has a low-key vibe and a lo-fi aesthetic, but it is the perfect aesthetic for the songs. It has some unique twists like the kick drum and rumbling bass that I can feel in my throat. It has some nice instrumental flourishes like banjo, slide guitar, and harmonica. MJ Lenderman, who is also having a moment in the Americana scene, is all over the record, playing guitars and providing harmony and backup vocals.

The album received acclaim from critics, and it received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album. If I had given this album a chance in 2024, it would have been on my best-of list. One of the things I love about music festivals is that they open my ears to artists I would not normally listen to or, as in this case, an artist I had underestimated. I will be digging deeper into the Waxahatchee catalog after falling for Tiger’s Blood.