How I never heard of singer-songwriter Becky Warren before Sunday, well, I can only wonder. But, thanks to a tweet from No Depression promoting a review of her second album, Undesirable, here I am.
It’s a little too soon for me weigh in on the album itself, as I mull over music, contemplating, cogitating and ruminating about it before committing my thoughts to print. That said, don’t wait for my take: Buy the CD, download the files, add the tracks to your Apple Music or Spotify libraries, or play it via YouTube – which is a review in and of itself, I suppose.
I will say that the only disagreement I have with that No Depression critique is when writer David McPherson describes Warren by saying “[p]icture the love child of Neil Young and Lucinda Williams.” I’d have referenced Bruce Springsteen and Shelby Lynne instead, and left out the love child reference, as – for me, at least – the phrase conjures Diana Ross and the Supremes. (And, too, it seems a tad unfair to her actual parents.)
So, instead of delving into the notes and words of Undesirable, I thought I’d share a few videos alongside what I’ve learned of Warren’s story, primarily from summaries in No Depression (2012) and the Bluegrass Situation (2017): The Atlanta native’s musical journey began in 1991 when, likely as a tween or young teen, she acquired a guitar; the first songs she learned were by her musical heroes, the Indigo Girls; and, 13 years later, no less than the Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray liked the debut album by the Great Unknowns, her band, enough to release it on her Daemon Records label.
By that point, unfortunately, the band members were drifting apart (while remaining friends) due to life’s demands. Also, in 2005, Warren married her boyfriend, a soldier who deployed to Iraq not long after their wedding. Like too many of that generation, he returned home with PTSD; every war injury impacts more than the soldier him- or herself, of course, and such was the case in this instance. The marriage didn’t last, but did inform the songs she wrote for the Great Unknowns’ second album, Homefront, which was released in early 2012.
Fast-forward a few years and, inspired by a 2012 stint with a Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriting Project workshop, she turned her and her ex-husband’s story (and the stories of others in similar situations) into the subject of her 2016 solo debut, War Surplus.
Undesirable, which was released earlier this month, is another thematic effort, this time tackling the stories of those on the fringes of society. After a few listens, I can say this with authority: It is as well-written as anything I’ve heard all year. In some ways, it’s a collection of short stories set to song.
And, finally, here’s Becky’s appearance on “Dust of Daylight’s Nashville Front Porch Sessions,” which features her singing three songs:
The Old Grey Cat 
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