Lissie
Fat Possum
2009-11-10
Lissie Maurus comes from Rock Island, Illinois, a place that she and her songwriting is inextricably linked to. She exudes an old soul with timeless problems. Produced by Band of Horses bassist Bill Reynolds, Why You Runnin’ is an EP of five songs ranging from hand-clapping folk (“Little Lovin'”) to piano-led hymns to Mississippi (“Oh Mississippi”). The fact that it’s Mississippi feels a little trite and overdone, but the heaviness in Lissie’s soulful alto sells the piece. Her powerful voice involves a haunting dip in intensity at the end of her phrases, and her loudest moments have the perfect amount of reverb to really tug at your heartstrings.