Crowded Is the New Lonely

Portland, Maine-based singer-songwriter Sara Cox began her young life in Nashville and that early experience with Music City, U.S.A. informs her approach to music making. Cox has made a name for herself as a literate New England songwriter with a strong country twist, and with the assistance of her husband, producer-guitarist Nate Schrock, she serves up a homegrown collection that’s strong and melodic throughout, where the snap of the drum reflects the intimacy of the room and her voice effortlessly twists with country music’s intimate yearn. She delivers several tunes with just her acoustic guitar and her tough yet tender persona comes into focus, as “Anger,” “I in Team,” and the title track exude both sweetness and a touch of grit. Megan Jo Wilson’s harmonies shade things beautifully for the bittersweet taste of “The Fog” and the mountain country of the pedal steel-highlighted “Be My Man.” Nothing flashy here, no cheesy moments of grandeur, just the kind of music one imagines should be heard around a campfire at the end of a long, fulfilling day.