Kelly Hogan — I Like to Keep Myself In Pain

I listened to this album through exactly once on Spotify, and then I rushed out to buy it.

While the stable of musicians Hogan assembled for this album are impressive (Booker T, James Gadsen, Gabe Roth of the Dap-Kings, Scott Ligon of NRBQ) — as are the past collaborators of hers who offered their lyrics to the album (Jakob Dylan, Andrew Bird, Vic Chesnutt, and M. Ward, to name a few.)

But Hogan’s voice is front and center, as it should be. Pure as a bell and widely expressive, Hogan is a modern-day Patsy Cline. The soothing quality of her voice, and her intelligent interpretation of the lyrics, prevents the album from becoming too dark. A mixture of Americana, soul, and jazz, I Like to Keep Myself in Pain is a treat for your ears. I’d be shocked if you don’t buy it yourself.

Kelly Hogan — Official, Facebook, Amazon, Spotify