S.G. Goodman -- Planting By the Signs
In her new album Planting By the Signs, S.G. Goodman turns an incisive gaze towards herself and the cycles of loss and renewal that propel all of us forward.
There's something heavy and cyclical about Planting By the Signs, the new album from Southern rock heavyweight S.G. Goodman. Goodman has made a career of tackling the thorniest issues of what it means to Southern – and on her latest album, Goodman turns that incisive gaze onto herself.
Signs found Goodman at a major crossroads in her life: the death of her hound, Howard, and her mentor, Michael (of "Michael Told Me") led to Goodman reconciling with her longtime collaborator and guitarist Matthew Rowan. Indeed, Signs embodies the cycle of loss and renewal this chapter recounts – both for herself and the characters in her songs.
There's a sensual feel to many of these songs: "Heat Lightning,""I Can See the Devil," and the title track are tense – I can feel the humidity and mist coming off the mountains, while the claustrophobic intimacy of knowing too much about the people around me clings to my skin. Others, like "Snapping Turtle," explore what it means disentangle the past and the present, and find meaning in both.
That reflection leaves to moments of liberation: "I'm In Love" is a gently timeless ballad celebrating life's curious textures. By the time Goodman leaves us with "Heaven Song,"a 9-minute meditation on what it might mean to reach beyond our grasp, we've processed what it means to grieve, to grow, to be patient with the cycles that life brings us.
