Megan Lacy: “Salvation” (2021) CD Review

Megan Lacy is a singer and songwriter based in Austin, Texas. Salvation, her debut release, contains all original material that she wrote or co-wrote. The focus here is on her well-crafted lyrics, delivered with honesty and heart, sometimes betraying an endearing vulnerability. Joining her on this release are Christopher Cox on bass and keys, Aaron Parks on drums and percussion, Justin Douglas on pedal steel and dobro (Douglas also produced the album), and Jordan Burchill on guitar.

Salvation opens with its title track, a haunting and compelling song, as powerful in its pauses and breaths as in the delivery of its lyrics. And sometimes a simple line is incredibly effective, packing a punch, lines like “I know I could be better than I am” and “I welcome the dark.” There is also some nice, rather subdued percussion, striking even though restrained. “Salvation” was written by Megan Lacy and Gil Gaus. That’s followed by “Don’t Rest,” which begins with the beat, a sort of easygoing rhythm. Then Megan’s voice comes in, telling us “I lost it/It’s been missing so long/Oh, but the trouble is/I didn’t know it was gone.” And because she has not identified or specified what it is she speaks of, perhaps each of us thinks of a thing that we are missing, that we have lost, and so the song becomes personal for us almost immediately. And the lines about not resting even while asleep certainly ring true in these days of anxiety. Later she asks, “How troubled/Do I gotta be/To get some sympathy.” This is a beautiful song, and we hear her vulnerability in the lines “I’ve been lost/I’ve been had/I’ve been down/Shouldn’t I know something by now?”

“Carolina” was released as the EP’s first single. It is a song about leaving, about wanting to leave. Leave a person, a place, a situation. “If there’s a road, I’ll take it/I’ll drive miles away/I never told her anything/I couldn’t think of what to say/She won’t listen anyway.” There is a quiet, intimate beauty to this one, and it too includes some good percussion. That’s followed by “No Better.” In the EP’s first song, Megan Lacy sang “I know I could be better than I am,” and in this one she sings in the first line, “Baby, I could’ve done better.” Perhaps this album is providing her a chance to take stock, to look back with honesty and clarity, and to build a stronger present, even if at times she still feels powerless, apparent in lines like “Now I can see/The house always wins.” She delivers a beautiful and moving vocal performance, and this track is my personal favorite. The EP then concludes with “Watch This,” a song of battling personal demons. This one begins with percussion, which remains steady in the background, as if to provide some strength, some support as she opens up to us. “Watch this/I’m gonna get out/I’m gonna fly up/Somewhere above the clouds.” There is determination in her voice, and yet we also hear something on the edge of tears at moments. And so we wonder which way she’ll end up, though we expect she’ll hold it together and triumph in the end.

CD Track List

1. Salvation
2. Don’t Rest
3. Carolina
4. No Better
5. Watch This

Salvation was released on March 5, 2021.