This young Ohio alt. country singer-songwriter first came to prominence when she guested with The Black Keys on ‘Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be’. The Keys’ Dan Auerbach returns the favour by producing this stunning collection at his own studio. Not easy to categorise or describe, Mayfield is something of an original – her voice is raw, plaintive and unadorned by any of the usual affectations while the material is certainly not typical singer-songwriter fare.
The thumping syncopation on the title-track recalls Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Big Love’, while the dark, brooding ‘Sometimes At Night‘ echoes the work of Lucinda Williams. With heavily reverbed guitars, ‘Our Hearts Are Wrong’ is stark, gothic pop while on ‘Blue Skies Again’ she comes across as a rockier Laura Cantrell. The Americana genre is a crowded marketplace these days but on the evidence here, Mayfield is sure to find a wider audience.