These days country music is often associated with cheese like Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts. Because of this, it's hard to give the genre the benefit of the doubt. More often than not, the only thing such artists ever add up to are catchy melodies and clichéd heartache. In a genre once infamous for being remarkably honest, it has now turned the corner onto Pop Street, and honesty has been sacrificed for one-dimensional, radio friendly garbage. The glory days of Johnny Cash are behind us, and thus it seems quality country music is as well.
The Watson Twins are living proof that it doesn't have to be this way. Best known for their collaboration with Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis, Chandra and Leigh Watson use their Louisville, Kentucky roots for good, not evil. They don't fall into the habit of animating a Southern lifestyle, but rather employ personas associated with Southern women to create a classy album that narrates a woman's heartache. Drawing on blues and soul to help amplify their laments, Talking to You, Talking to Me becomes a beautiful country record.
The personas the twins draw on show the evolution of a woman grieving over a man. At first she's weak, a damsel in distress, having been persecuted by her man and is now helpless in her situation. In ""Brave One"" the girls sing, ""Confusion all around me / Why do I love this kind of man? / I was the brave one / But I never felt so weak / In this world of contradictions / It barely makes sense to speak."" These lyrics, combined with the song's pressing rhythm, make it clear the Watson twins have been wronged by love and are unable to save themselves. They desperately need someone to come restore them with the strength they once had, but until then, they will be trapped under the spell of a man.
From here, the girls develop sense of self, transitioning from their weak state to one of a strong, Southern woman who won't put up with any man's crap. Utilizing an image common in country music, the devil helps the girls make their point. In the song ""Devil in You,"" the devil isn't going down to Georgia, but rather dwells inside the man who's wronged the Watson sisters. Chandra and Leigh assert their self-confidence, singing ""The pressure of all these things been getting me down / But I know myself better than I used to / And I have some type of respect for the things that I do... Well the devil in you tried to tell me what to do / I don't think so."" The girls have figured out that they're strong enough to save themselves from their misery, and have tossed their damsel-in-distress personas out the window.
The twins finally assert a common trait associated with a Southern woman: feminine charm. Her mourning is dainty and soft, with nothing too brashly or angrily stated. She knows that she's strong, but can't help being sad over her loss. With ladylike honestly, the sisters cry: ""The lights are bright and I am low... I guess I'll hold you in my mind / It seems to pass the time."" The girls aren't angry or hateful toward the male gender, but rather subtle in their laments. It's a gentle, feminine mourning.
With these personas elegantly narrated, it's clear that even these days, country music can be more than a teenager's angst-filled song about being dumped one of the Jonas Brothers. It can embody very common ideas but interpret them in ways completely new and beautiful. On Talking to You, Talking to Me, The Watson Twins assert this fact as well as their own talent. They are able to utilize both old and new ideas to create a striking, sexy album.
