Hank. Buck and Don. Jimmie, George. Ray, Dolly. Tammy. Ira and Charlie. Dwight. Gram. Ralph. Loretta. These are country artists whose soulful vocal stylings strike me viscerally in an inexplicable way. Like when I hear George Jones sing “If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will)” and I’m overwhelmed because I can feel every ounce of his pain in each syllable and note. Or when The Louvin Brothers sing When I Stop Dreaming and the very depth of the love they are expressing is palpable. I certainly wouldn’t go to bat arguing that Sarah Shook has a vocal range or capability on par with some of the greats. But I feel every gram of her heartbreak, impatience, regret, fierce determination, and newfound independence in her voice across the ten new songs on Years, her standout second release on Chicago’s Bloodshot Records.
