By Ken Paulson
You can almost hear Lori McKenna exhale with relief on Lorraine, her new CD and the first in some time without the commercial pressure of a label. She’s back to a sparer sound and continues to write about life’s trials and passages, from the frustration of being taken for granted (“If He Tried”) to the loss of a loved one (“Still Down Here.”) The title song is a thoughtful tribute to her mother, just one of many songs here that resonate with real life. This is music for adults with a few miles on them – and a few more yet to go.