Maia Sharp’s 2021 LP was one of her most emotionally charged to date covering songs inspired by the end of her marriage and her cross-country move from her native California to Nashville. With Reckless Thoughts, her ninth album, Sharp is just as poignant with her songs but seems to be in a more relaxed place.
Maybe it’s the new surroundings or the laidback nature of living in the South, or maybe it’s finally moving to the heart of the modern Americana movement, regardless, the change of scenery seems to have been an emotional shift in the right direction. “I never thought I would leave California,” Sharp says. “Once I did, I had a feeling it would be easier to build a community in Nashville, but I had no idea how much easier it would be. It’s really tapped into something I didn’t know I needed so badly.” And you can hear that ease in a song like “Kind,” about finding the right, non-judgmental people to surround yourself with. The song is as relatable as it is catchy.
Elsewhere, on “Old Dreams,” a song she wrote with Garrison Starr, Sharp sings about the willingness and necessity to change your old ambitions; a slow-built piano-based track that is one of the most profound tracks she’s written yet in her two-decade -plus career. “Gone Cryin’,” equally profound is destined to be a fan favorite combining both Sharp’s deft knack for making the relatable sound like an epiphany with a catchy melody.
Self-produced and largely recorded in Nashville, Sharp recruited Resistor Studio owner/engineer Joshua Grange (Sheryl Crow, k.d. lang etc.) to play electric guitars and lap steel throughout the record. Having written songs for everyone from Bonnie Raitt and Trisha Yearwood to Cher over the years, it’s clear with Reckless Thoughts that Sharp still manages to save some of her best stuff for herself. Sharp has already started booking a solo tour of the U.S. starting later this month including a couple of dates with Raitt, her longtime musical influence.
