Mar 14

Mar 14 Review- Wonder Women of Country: Willis, Carper, Leigh

The Wonder Women of Country are here to save us from the mundane in modern country music.

Three of country’s most distinctive voices – Kelly Willis, Melissa Carper and Brennen Leigh – have made their occasional team-ups official with a name and now an album, Wonder Women of Country: Willis, Carper, Leigh, which comes out March 15.

The EP is a triumph, an easygoing demonstration of the enduring appeal of traditional country music in the hands of three masters of their craft. These songs are as traditional as cornbread yet fresh as a still-warm strawberry just off the vine.

The Wonder Women were born of mutual admiration and friendship.

“We were on the same bill for a couple of different gigs, and I was real jealous because they had this nice, quiet, contained presentation and I was in a really big, cacophonous band with four guitars,” Willis said in an interview after the trio’s debut under their new moniker at Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas, on February 16. “Which is fun, but it was like, I want to see if they want to maybe do some gigs together, the three of us.”

Carper and Leigh said yes, and the trio played several gigs and short tours together over the next couple years, learning each other’s songs so they could play as a cohesive band. It was a hit.

“People were asking us if we had a record, and we didn't,” Willis said. “So, we finally just found a little window in time where we could go in and do it.”

They cut six songs – five originals and an excellent John Prine cover that they’d been playing together – at Bismeaux on the Hill in Austin in December. Short, yes, but I own plenty of full albums without six songs this good.

“Another Broken Heart” might be my favorite. A classic crying-in-your-beer weeper, it unfolds its heartbreak line by line as the singer enumerates her losses and reckons with the wreckage. The world’s full of broken hearts – all she’s got to do now is find one to match hers. The chef’s kiss moment is the way Willis sings, “Lord, help the loser who knows what she’s lost,” as the pedal steel swoops in for the emotional kill. Perfect.

“Hanging On to You” sounds like a new entry into the Great American Songbook, a love song to an ol’ reliable lover. “They don’t make ‘em like they used to / that’s why I’m hanging onto you.” Leigh wrote the song a few years ago, and Carper recorded it on her Ramblin’ Soul album in 2022. The Wonder Women speed it up a bit, adding a bouncy bass and harmonies that lighten and brighten it.

“A Thousand Ways” is the flip side of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” as Willis recounts the myriad ways that her self-involved lover could do something, anything, to salvage their relationship. Try, even just a little bit, buddy: “There must be a thousand ways to keep me.” Special shoutout to Ginny Mac, whose whimsical accordion elevates the song.

“Fly Ya To Hawaii” might be the group’s “Mele Kalikimaka” moment, but it’s also an example of how the group oozes charm and good humor, on record and onstage. It’s also a reminder of this fun fact: The pedal steel guitar, a staple of country music, came from Hawaii.

“Won’t Be Worried Long” is an achingly sweet ramble about the healing power of “those old country songs.” Feeling a little lonely? Drop the needle on some Loretta Lynn. “I’m worried now, but I won’t be worried long.”

The Wonder Women find the tender, romantic heart of John Prine’s “I Have Met My Love Today,” a staple of their live shows and the EP’s finale. Carper takes the lead vocal, and the restrained harmonies of Leigh and Willis prove gorgeous. If you’re planning a wedding, this is the version you want.

It wouldn’t be fair to compare anyone to Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, but this project does call to mind that gathering of solo geniuses who teamed up to create the artistic and commercial triumph of the Trio album.

But maybe a more apt comparison is boygenius. That indie supergroup of Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker came together as friends and mutual admirers in 2018. Their debut EP was a modest success, but their subsequent album, 2023’s The Record, was a roaring success, winning three Grammys.

Let’s hope for a similar path for the Wonder Women of Country.

Wonder Women of Country

Kelly Willis