Album Review – Maja Francis – “Hello Cowboy”

#530.2 (Country Pop) and #510.1 (Classic Country) on the Country DDS.

Imagine an alternative universe where Dolly Parton didn’t become a big star, and despite her incredible talent and portfolio of songs, she was a 30-something somewhat unknown singer/songwriter struggling in relative obscurity to find attention for her music in a crowded and often unforgiving marketplace.

Maybe it’s not so hard to imagine this reality, because in this upside down moment in music where meritocracy is often disregarded, there’s no guarantee Dolly Parton would have risen from the poverty of east Tennessee to become a superstar in the present day.

Enter Maja Francis from Sweden and her album Hello Cowboy. She’s like a Swedish version of Dolly Parton, with a stunning voice and even more stunning songs. You’d be hard pressed to find someone whose voice reminds you so distinctly of Dolly, while her sound combines elements of traditional country with ’80s and contemporary pop, not dissimilar to Dolly in her “Here You Come Again” late ’70s, early ’80s phase.

Maja Francis has been been characterized as emo country, or perhaps similar to the title of her debut album, you could simply consider her A Pink Soft Mess. But whatever you call her, there’s something that calls to you as a country fan, even through some of the more contemporary sounds, and it’s not just the presence of steel guitar.

It’s the fearlessness of Maja’s songs, and the way she overshares stark details in moments of sheer vulnerability as she contemplates a life of wrong turns and love lost, while self-diagnosing an elongated list of foibles and failings. If you want sad songs, Maja Francis has them in spades, and she is willing to go places even the most heart-wrenching of songwriters are afraid to explore.

In her native Sweden, it wouldn’t be fair to characterize Maja Francis as obscure. On the contrary, she’s toured and collaborated with one of the country’s other country-inspired acts in First Aid Kit, and has appeared on major shows and music programs. It’s only in the United States that Francis doesn’t enjoy the kind of attention that she deserves.

Admittedly though, if you’re into contemporary pop music, Hello Cowboy probably won’t be pop enough for you. But if you’re a country fan, it might be too pop for your taste. The first two songs of the album—“Hello Cowboy” and “Low”—don’t feel too far afield from something Kacey Musgraves might have released in her Golden Hour era.

But starting with “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” and heading into the heartbreaking “Kentucky Keychain,” the experience turns much more country. By the time you reach the later portions of the album, you don’t really care what it’s called. The voice of Maja Francis is so emotive and so perfectly married to the sentiments conveyed, you feel it in your very marrow.

“Family Photo” about not knowing where to fit in even with the closest of your circle is about as heart-wrenching as it gets, but is somehow outdone with the emotional wallop that is “Divorce.” This is where Maja’s singing and writing aptitude is conjoined so perfectly, it’s sharp enough to pierce the emotional armor of even the most hardened of hearts.

Maja Francis might not be destined for superstardom in the United States, or Sweden. But that doesn’t mean her music doesn’t deserve a wide audience of fans in country, pop, and anywhere in the world where people connect with the type of unbridled emotion and honesty present on Hello Cowboy.

8.1/10

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