If you like your Natalies more Merchant than Imbruglia, your Dollys more Parton than Hello, and your Hank Williamses more I than III, then Noelle & the Deserters’ debut album High Desert Daydream is for you.
Like the first pistol shot at at the races, opening track “Born in the Morning” cuts straight to the chase, setting the tone for a consistently entertaining joyride down all roads country and country-adjacent. Here and throughout the album Noelle Fiore sings clever turns of phrase like: “I risked my heart on red, lost my shirt on black, should’ve gone all in on blue.”
“Church of Dog”—an ode to the spiritual release in adopting a puppy—veersinto nearlytoo-silly territory, but its open-hearted sincerity proves undeniable. The call-and-response, harmonies, and guitar gunslinging of Graham Norwood certainly don’t hurt either. The rest of the band is fantastic too, with co-producer and owner of SF’s Speakeasy Studios (who released the record) Alicia Vanden Heuvel on bass, Dave Cuetter on pedal steel guitar, and Noelle’s own husband Jerry Fiore on drums.
Other highlights include “Taos” (a warm ode to the New Mexico city), “Watching Billboards Change” (a weary takedown of long work commutes), and “Wonder Why I Wander” (which winds its way through an unpredictable path before bonking you on the head with a delightful left-field key change in its final third). And it’s a country record, so of course there’s a murder ballad via the spooky dirge “Now I’ve Got You.”
For fans of classic country like early 70s Loretta Lynn or Glen Campbell tackling woes both modern and timeless, Noelle & the Deserters has you covered.
