Still Wild
Lacy Younger is one untamed lady on her latest album, aptly entitled Still Wild. Whether the song is a slow, introspective one or one that shows off Younger's get-down vocal range with exaltation, Still Wild has songs for wildchilds yearning to be free and those who are just waiting to let loose.
"This Ain't The First Time" starts off rather taciturn, with guitar work from Mark Goldenberg, Craig Stull, Marty Walsh, Billy Floyd Thompson, Andrew Bojanic and George Dearing. The drum play from Trevor Lawrence and Tom Walsh lend a slight rock tone to the song. The primary theme of the track is Younger's mate has split, but she isn't going to boo hoo over the loss and is sure it won't be the final time her heart will be crushed, with lyrics such as "Night ain't so young, I been watchin' you sleep, and I know time ain't on my side. This pain that I know is down so deep tryin' to find a place to hide. And you're already gone, you're just draggin' it on. I've seen it in your empty eyes. So pack up your things. Just take what you want and I'll live with what you leave behind. This ain't the first time for someone to leave. This ain't the first time, won't be the last time my little heart bleeds." It seems Younger's track record, when it comes to love, hasn't been stellar and she doesn't see that changing anytime soon.
The title track has more vim to it as the title suggests, with forceful steel guitar work from Doug Livingston and superb bass play from Bob Glaub. Younger really portrays her primitive side on this song as she emotes about the personality she used to have, which has been reshaped to some degree, yet she doesn't want anyone to think she has lost the edge that defined her as a woman, with lyrics like, "Yeah baby, once I was a beauty but beauty was a bore/so much more/I used to be a wild thing honey I could not be satisfied. But when I went from boys to men I didn't need two on the side. Still wild, still wild, still wild, wild still and now that I don't have a future to kill. I used to crave my whiskey, it made me brave and most unkind and now nothin's scarin' me anyway." Younger wants to prove to listeners that she is still not someone to be trifled with. The fierceness with which she sings this song makes that point very evident.
On "Here's To You," the tone is somewhat restrained with hushed guitar work from Goldenberg, Stull, Walsh, Thompson, Bojanic and Dearing. Younger is saying that she is giving up on love after her beloved seems to have left and taken a chunk of her soul with him, with lyrics like, "I don't ever wanna call anybody darlin' again. I don't ever wanna get in the shape I'm in. And if I ever say,