click to enlarge - Courtesy Of Luke Higgs
- Hannah Wicklund
(Flatiron Recordings, CD, digital, vinyl)
One of Nashville's rising blues-rock talents establishes herself as a force both instrumentally and vocally with the release of her powerful and resounding new LP.
On The Prize, Hannah Wicklund uses clairvoyance and intensity to illustrate the emotions of coming into her own as a visionary young adult. Across 10 expansive tracks, Wicklund wields her rich, soulful voice and searing electric guitar skills to enthrall the listener and blast their stereo speakers.
Released in January, The Prize was produced by Sam Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet, one of several bands Wicklund joined on the road as an opening act as she built a name for herself.
Growing up near the ocean in a South Carolina family of musicians, she was only 9 years old when she started performing live music. By 16, when Wicklund graduated from high school, she was already out playing most nights of any given week. She'd performed more than 2,500 live shows by her early twenties, operating for years as her own manager and promoter in true DIY fashion.
Wicklund's influences include a wide range of classic rock bands, R&B singers and Motown groups. Reflecting the nearly two decades of experience under her belt, her songs burst with intuition and purpose, bridging agony and redemption.
click to enlarge - Courtesy
- Hannah Wicklund, The Prize
The Prize pounds from start to finish and captivates with suspenseful arrangements. Opener "Hell in the Hallway" is a sweltering, expressive piece that captures Wicklund's coming-of-age escape from dark spaces into brighter times.
On "Witness," she reconciles devastation and pain with a mature perspective, and she wails this track's poignant chorus: "cuz I'm embracing heartbreak."
"Hide and Seek" is another album highlight, on which we hear Wicklund set free as an adventurous lead singer and remarkable guitar soloist. As the song twists, turns and packs a wallop, she impressively amplifies her voice and sustains her pitch to dramatic effect.
The gorgeous title song billows and illuminates Wicklund's personal struggle to relinquish the past. It's a battle she overcomes through her inner strength, evoked by unforgettable lyrics: "I had to make room in my life for the woman I wanted to be / Loving myself is what's brought her to me."
Wicklund released her first full-length album in 2018 as Hannah Wicklund & the Steppin Stones and has since put out a couple of EPs under her own name. But The Prize marks a significant step forward for this dynamic 27-year-old, who doubles as a talented painter and even created the artwork for her new record.
Setting a high bar for her songwriting, Wicklund concludes The Prize with the glorious "Sun to Sun," empowering her fellow women as she discovers her own confidence to stride forward: "Oh, and man may work from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done / So, with sharpened eyes and a sharpened tongue / I will carry on."
Wicklund performs on Sunday, March 3, at the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge in South Burlington. The Prize is streaming on digital platforms and can be purchased at shop.hannahwicklund.com.