Pins And Needles

Though she’s best known as a behind-the-scenes songwriter for country heavyweights and as one-fourth of supergroup The Highwomen, Natalie Hemby is also a formidable solo artist in her own right. She first shared her artistry on 2017’s *Puxico*, a quiet, understated collection of songs inspired by the Missouri town where she spent summers with her grandparents as a child. Hemby’s second solo outing is a decidedly looser affair, drawing influence from her early love of ’90s alternative rock, particularly the sound and songwriting style defined by the iconic Lilith Fair music festival. Raw, rowdy tracks like “Heroes” and the Miranda Lambert cowrite “Banshee” give Hemby sonic license to show off her rock chops, revealing that the multi-hyphenate talent had yet another trick up her sleeve.

On her second album, a country singer-songwriter accustomed to crafting songs for artists like Miranda Lambert and Lee Ann Womack finds her own voice.

Natalie Hemby's 'Pins and Needles' arrives like a mid-career release from an artist fully confident of her direction. It has the force of time behind it.