Four years on from her exceptional work on Loose Future, Courtney Marie Andrews returns with a quality not at all dissimilar from her last album. Developments in that four-year gap are clear on Valentine. Another shift towards the folk fundamentals with a few bells and whistles attached is what you get here. It’s that focus on instrumental variety that steers Andrews through her latest album. Valentine is a chance for Andrews to instil her writing style with instrumental flourishes, which will be of no surprise to many. It’s about finding a balance between the nostalgic flourishes, the folk-pop return, and those sentimental commentaries which form the very best of her work. A steady start with the tone of Pendulum Swing established well, but the real treat is with Keeper. Consistency is guaranteed from Andrews, whose work here is developed well with lush and expansive sound.
That much is done well, and then your focus can shift to the solid wordplay so crucial to the core of Valentine. You can hear the effectiveness of those tonal qualities on Cons and Clowns, a flowing and beautifully melodic song. It does feel as though Andrews is keen to use her voice as another instrument, rather than the standout, at times. That isn’t the case for the whole album, of course not, but it is there and it works. Follow-up Magic Touch has her uniquely higher pitch, the floaty quality of the wordplay, come to life. A real treat of a listen. Most of these songs are, though it feels like the order is inconsequential to the atmosphere. One moment it’s the lighter thrills of Magic Touch, the dreamlike state and upbeat charm very clear, the next it’s as though the ground beneath you had been hollowed out, falling through a song like Little Picture of a Butterfly goes against the purpose of softly spoken folk. Rightly so.
Andrews is confident of her abilities not just as a performer but as an innovator. She has one hell of a voice and puts it to the test with material that shifts with such shocking results. Those bold moves break down the fundamentals of the genre and rebuild a much stronger idea of where Valentine can take a listener. It’ll go far enough for those who want a change of pace but still need that tether to a recognisable sound. A fine line, sure, but one walked well by Andrews. Outsider blurs the elements of those soft folk tones but also the Americana experience, the long and winding story backed by a contemplative instrumental flourish. Barely audible at times, but it finds a spot for itself and weaves a truly wonderful story. That’s what Andrews brings about so often, a sincere but melancholic experience that often deals some heavy blows. Everyone Wants to Feel Like You does just that, the assumption of nonchalance as not feeling the burdens of life is presented well.
Mixing those comfortable, early style choices with a folk pop route which has come back into style is no small feat. To stand out with it too, as exceptionally as Andrews does with Valentine, is a real treat of a listen. Latter stages of the album, like Only the Best for Baby, are just as strong as those early moments where the wordplay feels decisive and assured, but also capable of change, of emotional adaptation. Honest and charming is what Andrews has often offered, but variety is necessary in those places too, she gets to grips with that well across Valentine. A wonderful, liberated album where the meaning that comes across is more important than anything else. Backing that with some staggering instrumental work is a brilliant way to tie it all together. It’ll last as long as the last Andrews album did, it has the legs to keep trudging through the emotional void, but crucially too there is the clarity to make sense of all those odd little feelings.
