''Valley of Heart's Delight'' is a 2023 studio album by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

ian Margo Cilker. The album has received positive reviews from critics and investigates Cilker's childhood growing up in the Santa Clara Valley.

Reception

In '' American Songwriter'', Hal Horowitz gave this album 4 out of 5 stars, noting Cilker's ability to mix music genres and concluding that the album "proves herself to be one of our finest and most literate songwriters". Online retailer

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

chose this among the best country music of September 2023, with Ben Salmon calling Cilker "a stunning songwriting talent". A roundup of notable releases of the week from ''

BrooklynVegan ''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, United States and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, ...

'' included this release and critic Andrew Sacher writing that Cilker "has an equal knack for time-tested country music traditions and the humble modernity of indie folk, coupled with an envious ability to write songs that you feel like you've known your whole life yet still sound new and fresh". John Moore of ''

Glide Magazine Glide may refer to: * Gliding flight, to fly without thrust Computing *Glide API, a 3D graphics interface * Glide OS, a web desktop * Glide (software), an instant video messenger *Glide, a molecular docking software by Schrödinger Flight and m ...

'' called this work "one of the most compelling albums of the genre so far this year" and "a near flawless exercise in songwriting". '' No Depression''s Maeri Ferguson wrote that Cilker's discussion of labor and everyday life is delivered with "a voice that manages to convey such emotion, but feels utterly effortless" and concludes that "whether she's making you laugh or cry, she feels like a friend, her songs a warm hand to hold". Writing for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'', Neil Spencer stating that "there's a strong streak of nostalgia in the songs" for Cilker's life in California and he rated the album 4 out of 5 stars. In an 8.8 out of 10 review from Matt Mitchell in '' Paste'', this work is declared "a dashing and brilliant leap of Americana" that "sounds like ilkers got a century's worth of stories to tell"; editors of the magazine chose it as one of the best albums of September 2023. At ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'', Steve Horowitz noted the similarities in tone and musicianship with Cilker's last album, stating that there is "a sonic connection to her original record and gives the record a new sound" and notes the strengths of the lyrics, where the singer acts "as a stand-in for all of us"; he scored the album an 8 out of 10. In ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', Jonathan Bernstein called this album "a big leap forward" for Cilker while also being a continuation of the work done on ''Pohorylle''. Editors at ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

'' chose this as Album of the Week and critic Chris DeVille calling the music "subtly spectacular results" of Cilker's recording process and he particularly praised her lyrics, calling her "a remarkable lyricist carving out her own space within a grand tradition, always subverting Americana tropes or finding ways to make them feel new". '' Uncut'' editor Michael Bonner included this album on his list of the best of the year. ''Valley of Heart's Delight'' was nominated for International Album of the Year at the UK Americana Music Awards.

Track listing

All songs written by Margo Cilker, except where noted. #"Lowland Trail" – 2:24 #"Keep It on a Burner" – 4:27 #"I Remember Carolina" (Margo Cilker and Forrest VanTuyl) – 4:54 #"Beggar for Your Love" – 3:27 #"Mother Told Her Mother Told Me" – 3:56 #"With the Middle" – 3:27 #"Santa Rosa" – 2:30 #"Crazy or Died" – 3:14 #"Steelhead Trout" (Ben Walden) – 2:22 #"Sound & Fury" (Cilker and VanTuyl) – 3:34 #"All Tied Together" (Cilker and VanTuyl) – 3:35

Personnel

*Margo Cilker – guitars, lead vocals *John Morgan Askew – banjo, recording, mixing at Bocce *Jen Borst – cover photograph *Paul Brainard – guitars,

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...

Sera Cahoone Sera Cahoone (born August 4, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Cahoone's music combines elements of classic country-western and modern indie rock and lo-fi music. She works as a drummer, especially with the bands C ...

– drums, vocals,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

*Sarah Cilker – vocals * Jenny Conlee-Drizos – piano, accordion, organ *JJ Golden – mastering at Golden Mastering *Caleb Klauder – mandolin, vocals *Jared Leake – illustration *John Morgan Askew – banjo *Kelly Pratt – horns *Matt Sharkey – additional photography *Annie Staninec – violin, viola *Ben Walden – vocals, harmonica *Rebecca Young – bass

References

External links

* *
Photos of Cilker on tour
{{Authority control 2023 albums Albums produced by Sera Cahoone Margo Cilker albums

Reception

Track listing

Personnel

See also

References

External links