hypersongs

Mercy Now

Her fourth album and first for Lost Highway.
Mary Gauthier, 2005

Gurf Morlix produced it and plays acoustic and electric guitar, bass, lap steel, octophone and percussion, with Rich Brotherton on acoustic guitar and banjo, Ian McLagan on Hammond B3, Rick Richards on drums, Ray Bonneville on harmonica, Brian Standefer on cello, Eamon McLoughlin on viola, and Patty Griffin and Paul Mills on backing vocals. Gauthier wrote all but three songs, covering Harlan Howard's "Just Say She's a Rhymer" and Fred Eaglesmith's "Your Sister Cried", and co-writing several. Exclaim!'s Jason Schneider called it an early contender for album of the year, AllMusic's Thom Jurek gave 4 of 5 and praised literate American gothic songs, and the BBC's Jon Lusk praised her searing honesty. Slipcue singles out the title track, "Your Sister Cried" and "I Drink" as compact songs in the company of Guy Clark or Lucinda Williams. It appeared on many best-of-2005 lists and a 20th-anniversary vinyl reissue was announced in December 2025, its first on vinyl.

Track listing

  1. Falling Out of Love5:57
  2. Mercy Now5:51
  3. Wheel Inside the Wheel6:33
  4. I Drink4:31
  5. Just Say She's a Rhymer4:17
  6. Prayer Without Words6:09
  7. Your Sister Cried5:00
  8. Empty Spaces3:43
  9. Drop in a Bucket4:11
  10. It Ain't the Wind, It's the Rain4:03

More from Mary Gauthier

Drag Queens In Limousines (1999), Dixie Kitchen (2000), Filth & Fire (2002), Between Daylight And Dark (2007), Genesis (The Early Years) (2008), The Foundling (2010), Trouble And Love (2014), Rifles & Rosary Beads (2018), Dark Enough To See The Stars (2022)

Sources

  1. Mercy Now, Wikipedia
  2. Mary Gauthier, Mercy Now, Exclaim! (2005-04-01)
  3. Mercy, eventually, Houston Press (2006-02-02)