By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org

Anybody who has seen West Michigan’s own May Erlewine in concert, either during her in-process local and national tour or at any number local gigs in recent years, know she sings her songs with a gentle passion.

On her latest full-length studio album release, Second Sight, set to hit the streets Nov. 1, she maintains her sweet, gentle delivery but she packs a musical heavyweight’s punch with songs about an American society at risk if not in peril.

For evidence of her intent to push her music into the realm of socio-political commentary of the best — and strongest — vein, you need to listen no further than the first single released from Second Sight, and witness the power of its accompanying video, “Whole Again” — which she states was “Written as a testimony for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. And for all of the women who have been ‘unheard’ in their truth.”

Erlewine, an American woman thorough-and-through, is making clear her concern, if not open anger, at the current state of the country. And she does so unabashedly.

“There was no reluctance to being straightforward because so much care and intention was put into our message from the beginning to the end,” Erlewine said to WKTV in an email interview. “I also feel very at home with the truth. It’s not something that we can really avoid, so it feels relieving to me to create art that feels true and relevant to the times.”

“Whole Again” is about “the pain of women’s history,” she said in supplied material. “It’s about the fact that we have continued to repair and make whole what has been broken so many times, all while continuing to suffer abuses and silencing, without truly equal rights in our own country.”

That, as they say, is a punch to the heart of the matter.

The song was first written by Erlewine as a poem while watching the widely televised testimony of Christine Blasey Ford during Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings. Erlewine brought the poem to musical co-conspiratorTyler Duncan and together they crafted the song.

Undoubtedly, if you heard Erlewine in concert in Kalamazoo or Grand Rapids last weekend, or plan to catch her at Seven Steps Up in Spring Lake on Sunday, Oct. 13, your witness to her new songs and the stories of how they came about.

From the opening track on Second Sight, the instrumental “New Morning”, with Erlewine plays piano on what seems almost like a prelude to a larger work — a play or an opera — to the final song, “Afraid”, which feels a lot like a requiem, the collection seems thematic.

“The album is a journey through what feels like a time of great regression in our leadership,” she said. “This country was founded in pain and injustice, and a lot of that pain has been passed down through the generations. We are living in a time where we are inundated with media, consumerism and distractions from being connected to our deeper visions.

“The songs are a journey to reconnecting with our home, ourselves and each other while grieving the incredible trauma of our history.”

Another punch where it hurts.

While Second Sight, taken in its entirety, has an almost all-encompassing level of quality, in its music and its messages, to me, the heart of the recording is the trio of songs “Eyes on the Road”, “How Can I Return” and “Together in My Mind”.

Sticking in my mind’s eye after first listen, “Eyes on the Road”, for many reasons, seems to me to be saying there are good things coming down the road if you just stay true to the journey.

“This song is about holding our vision for the future and not being distracted by the insanity that is surrounding us right now,” Erlewine said. “It is when things are not right that we must hold on to our dreams. Our vision is needed when the way is unclear.”

And while “How Can I Return” … which includes the lyric “all the bridges have been burned” … seems talks about the destructive path our country is on, “Together in My Mind” … “Even when the sky is falling, there is stardust to find” … finds Erlewine remaining optimistic about the future. Maybe.

“How Can I Return” is “about colonialism and the pain of how we got to where we are as a country,” she said. “When we look at the injustice of our history and all of the people our victories have wounded, it feels very hard to connect to this country, this flag. The question is, ‘How could I return after understanding what the foundation of our country is built upon?

“… ‘Together In My Mind’ is about overcoming isolation and remembering that we are all connected to each other and all living things. This song is leading into ‘Afraid’ (the final track) which asks us to dig deep into courage and love as we move forward into uncharted territory.”

Clearly, Erlewine is not afraid to look at the American landscape, the mirror of our times, and see the good and the bad. And we, her listeners and admirers, should do so as well.

“I believe in our ability to make change happen,” she said. “I believe in the power of our hearts. I believe that we have a choice, to wake up and dig in, or remain in this nightmare. I believe in the work ahead and I am committed to it.”

For more information on May Erlewine, her music and the current tour, visit mayerlewine.com .

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