Across six records, Katie Crutchfield, known to most as Waxahatchee, has slowly evolved from a modern indie folk singer to one more fittingly slotted into the Americana/alt-country genre. And that evolution is perfectly showcased on Tigers Blood, her sublimely beautiful new LP.
The album’s lead single, “Right Back To It,” perfectly showcases Crutchfield’s endearing Alabama-accented vocals over a rambling banjo and acoustic guitar with MJ Lenderman lending his voice to the harmonies. Lenderman was initially set to just play guitar and sing on the track but shortly after recording it he decided he wanted to stay and play for the rest of the record. And while this is still Crutchfield’s album, his backing vocals on songs like “Tigers Blood” and “Evil Spawn” add a compelling additional element to the music.
Elsewhere, on the driving “Bored,” Crutchfield sings/talks her way through some of the smartest lyrics she has written in a career filled with smart lyrics. On “365,” a song about addiction coming toward the end of the record, she sings stunningly over very little instrumentation before the music amps up halfway through the song. It was initially written for Wynonna Judd but is delivered with such impressive confidence that you can’t imagine anyone else singing it. While “Tigers Blood,” the title track that closes the album, looks back nostalgically with a hint of sadness, as she cryptically delivers a line like “I held it like a penny I found/it might bring me something, it might weigh me down.” The group vocals that close out the record are memorable.
Her first record for the Anti- label, it’s a dozen tracks of laid-back breezy singalongs sung over acoustic guitars, pianos, and the occasional banjo and dobro. While most of Tigers Blood was written on tour in 2022, Crutchfield and her go-to producer, Brad Cook, relocated to the Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas to record the album. The storied studio on the Mexican border has been the home base for some incredible records from bands like Old 97s, the Devil Makes Three, and The Mountain Goats. Tigers Blood album is yet another big step forward in her evolution from critic’s darling to one of the most dependably great indie artists performing today.
