Kris Kristofferson famously wrote “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”. Â Although it became an anthem for a certain lifestyle back in the 70’s, Kristofferson himself would probably admit life’s a little more nuanced than that. Â Whether consciously or not, Melody Walker seems to be exploring a lot of those shades of gray in her debut album, Gold Rush Goddess.
 The record starts off with the title track, a sort of feminist viewpoint on being a female in California in the 1850’s.  “Just shaking what God gave me, so feel free to stare” probably wasn’t the prevailing attitude of the times.  Next up is Family Band, a nice ditty about choosing who you hang with, or at least knowing what you prefer.  There’s also the closer, a cover of Blondie’s Dreaming, where the protagonist observes wistfully over a cup of tea that “dreaming is free”.  My favorite, though, is Do What You Love Blues.  It starts with a gospel-tinged chant that manages to quickly equate life in a cubicle to a modern day chain gang, where Walker later proclaims “life’s about freedom, and it ain’t cheap”.  Amen sister!
Musically, Gold Rush Goddess stretches across a number of genres. Â The majority of tunes clearly fall into an indie-grass kind of feel with Melody’s vocals, guitars and keyboards matching well to partner Jacob Groopman’s harmonies and more-than-solid bass, mandolin and guitar accompaniment. Â A couple of songs fall more towards a simple folk arrangement, but in yet another direction Gotta Write Love Songs has a pop sound and hook that could just as easily be Gaga or Adele as an unknown singer-songwriter from San Francisco.
No one can really predict what will catch the attention of an NPR producer or the hipster crowd. Â But Melody Walker clearly has the chops to support indie/Americana singer-songwriter stardom. Â You can’t go wrong checking out her debut album.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.