High Cotton hail from North Georgia in the good old US of A and their album, "Pictures", gave us quite a pleasant surprise. Falling into that category of music generally referred to as Americana, they are more than worthy of comparison to the likes of Virginia's Buttercup or Kentucky's Brigid Kaelin.
High Cotton sing songs of maturity and depth. They seem simple but the more you listen, the more you appreciate the attention to detail. Covering topics like getting your first tattoo ("Tattoo") to the emptiness of a Saturday night ("Music City Lights"), they ring true as a reflection of life. Naturally such things tend to involve strong drink but isn't that always the way? It's not all misadventure, however. Well, there is a fair bit of misadventure but that's life, after all. To balance the books, good old fashioned sentiment makes an appearance in the title track "Pictures" and there's also a wry look at the realities of life in "Dollar Store". What impresses most though is the understated musicianship. Nothing flashy, just everything in the right place at the right time with nothing to distract your ears from the straightforward yet worldly wise vocals of Laura Monk.
This is an album full of songs that have that charm. You can't help but like them. Nor can you keep yourself from returning to them either. The subject matter of the sings may be conventional but such is the warmth of spirit on show that all I can say to end this review is that I'm damn glad to have made your acquaintance, High Cotton!