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As much as we admire an intricate arrangement and a progressive song structure, not every tune needs to tout itself as a pocket symphony. I mean, we’ve already got one “Bohemian Rhapsody”, right? So while house and hip-hop may spring to mind when thinking about repetition, there’s an intrinsic simplicity to other styles of songwriting – chiefly in the acoustic corner of things – that makes “one note” compositions truly compelling.
With that in mind, turn your attention to Nashville’s Anna May. Hailing out of Connecticut, this rising singer-guitarist-songwriter specializes in what she calls “alternative tragic Americana”, an unyielding take on the classic Western sound through intimate intersections of jazz and folk. But despite Anna May’s immersion in the healing powers of meditation, so far she’s refrained from recording anything close to what you’d call a raga in terms of runtime.
That is, until today. This morning Anna May rolled out her lengthiest original to date, “The Show”. At almost eight minutes, the duration might be daunting to those who haven’t already pressed “play”. But rest assured, once you fire up “The Show”, you’ll be fully engaged in the jam. Because not only does it showcase Anna May’s endurance, innovation, and country-adjacent charm on both vocals and six-string, but also the poetic, stream-of-consciousness, and scene-setting lyrics that makes old school blues so timeless.
A bit “one note”? Of course. But intriguing front to back? Absolutely.
