Album Review – Margo Cilker’s “Valley of Heart’s Delight”
Thank goodness for the strong and resilient women of country music who unquestionably face a more perilous road in the business compared to their male counterparts, but fight and claw their way forward because the music is in their blood and soul, and they know nothing else than to write and sing it. They can’t imagine backing out or turning tail, or switching genres when the going gets tough. They’re here to stay, adversity be damned.
Margo Cilker is a superlative example of this. She sings country music like others breathe. Her roots are in Carolina, her heart is out West, and her songs are inspired by both coasts and everything in between, including a little breakfast place in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, and what sounds like one hell of a hamburger down in Texas. Geography is often Margo’s muse, and she weaves it into splendid songs and stories that are plenty entertaining on their own while imparting wicked little insights into the struggles of life.
Sorry to those anticipating a sophomore slump from ol’ Cilker after her well-received debut Pohorylle. Now seasoned as a songwriter and performer, and with many more miles on her Michelins, she’s got even more skill and material with which to send hearts reeling and stir souls. Valley of Hearts Delight is the ideal mix of fun reels and killer heartbreakers all rendered in a country a style by Margo and producer/ drummer/songwriter Sera Cahoone.
Margo Cilker songs are always taking you somewhere, with the rich language evoking the places, landscapes, and characters in your mind in stark relief. The song “Lowland Trail” is about much more than finding your way through rugged terrain. But the visions it evokes in the mind’s eye primes the imagination to accept the song’s true meaning. Same goes for the sullen love story behind that little breakfast place in “Santa Rosa.”
At other times Cilker forgoes all allusion and goes straight for the vitals. “Beggar for Your Love” leaves little up for interpretation as it tears at the heart and wets the eye. “With the Middle” speaks better than most to the difficult and sometimes Herculean slog every single day can feel like to many people.
Cilker’s strong and confident, yet ever so endearingly flawed voice loses nothing in the translation from the emotional inspiration for a song, and the performance of it in the live or recorded context, especially when singing with her sister Sarah who regularly accompanies her on stage. When the Cilker sisters send it to the higher portions of their range, the moments can get exceptionally heavy.
One of the great things about Margo Cilker and Valley of Hearts Delight is the range of emotions and material it covers. “Steelhead Trout” written by Ben Walden is just a simple sing-along. But in the hands of Margo Cilker, and with the smart arrangement including accordion and capturing the frenetic energy of a live performance, it makes the song feel downright anthemic, and helps give the album a Western flair that is important to understanding Margo’s lived experience now based in rural Oregon.
These songs aren’t just from Margo Cilker, they are of Margo Cilker. They come straight from her natural history, infused with all the character and contours of the moments they’re culled from. Adventurous and well-traveled, but at times speaking to the commonplace and even mundane, it’s songs like these from Margo Cilker that help reintroduce the color back into life like the best singer-songwriter country music can.
8.3/10
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Purchase on Bandcamp
Purchase on Amazon
September 16, 2023 @ 10:09 am
Good review Trig, I love her first album and this one does not disappoint. Only qualm I would have is that “Crazy or Died” sounds a little too much like “Concrete and Barbed Wire” by Lucinda Williams. Excellent otherwise.
September 16, 2023 @ 11:35 am
I’ll never forget when I saw her open for American Aquarium, and I immediately walked to the merch table and grabbed Pohoryville. So good.
September 16, 2023 @ 12:25 pm
did the same thing – saw her open for them at Proud Larry’s in Oxford MS
September 17, 2023 @ 1:42 pm
Yup, saw her open for AA in Tampa in 2022. Loved the first record and this one is also excellent. Not sure she will get up to WI but would love to see her again. If I can time another work trip to be where she is I will do it!
September 20, 2023 @ 7:34 am
Turf Club – St Paul – Oct 10th
Shitty Barn – Spring Green WI -Oct 11th
The Back Room – Milwaukee – Oct 12th
September 16, 2023 @ 11:57 am
Glad to hear this one is a worthy follow up to her debut. Thanks for reviewing it.
September 16, 2023 @ 2:46 pm
Haven’t heard any of Ms. Cilkers’ songs,but judging from Trigger’s review,I’ll definitely give her a hearing .
September 16, 2023 @ 3:05 pm
It’s Santa Rosa, NEW Mexico. Mew is a silly error.
I caught her on her last tour, opening for Drive By Truckers. She was fabulous and I am looking forward to listening to this new record.
October 23, 2023 @ 7:55 am
Yea you’ve never made an error in your life. Pipe down Steve
October 23, 2023 @ 2:00 pm
Proofreading is hard. But necessary as silly errors tend to undermine an author’s message.
September 16, 2023 @ 5:05 pm
Would be interesting to hear Margo Cilker’s thoughts on Jann Wenner’s recent naive comments.
“A day after the publication of a New York Times interview in which Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner said that Black and female musicians “didn’t articulate at the level” of the white musicians featured in his new book of interviews, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced that he has been removed from its board of directors.”
Also, believe that Buddy Guy was shutting down a lot of other musicians, as his guitar was ARTICULATING music, Beautifully.
Along with Mr. B.B. King’s.
Louis Armstrong’s trumpet and incredibly wonderful voice.
The Rat Pack still going strong, etc.
Mr. Wenner, you have just seriously stepped in it.
September 18, 2023 @ 6:30 am
Way to shoehorn that in the comment section of a completely unrelated article.
September 18, 2023 @ 8:31 am
“Jann Wenner said that Black and female musicians “didn’t articulate at the level” of the white musicians featured in his new book …”
Perhaps Margo Cilker, being a female, & a musician, would have a first & only, knee jerk reaction to Mr. Webber’s statement.
Perhaps not.
But, i believe this to be an important discussion of music and musicians.
I will concede that there are times that Trig allows me to shamelessly promote musicians in articles unrelated to those/that particular musician.
Take Tab Benoit, for instance.
You’re just pissed because you erroneously thought this was a political attack.
September 18, 2023 @ 8:36 am
Di,
JonH is right. These comment sections are not an open message board. They are to discuss the topic at hand, not what YOU want to talk about, especially when you veer into contentious topics, especially on an album review when you take away attention from the artist being highlighted. I have asked you kindly not to do this before. Please do not do it again. I may address that Jann Wenner stuff at some point.
September 18, 2023 @ 8:43 am
Certainly, Trig
September 17, 2023 @ 6:26 am
Love this album. Enjoyed the thoughtful review too as usual.
September 17, 2023 @ 9:05 am
Thought this record was great. You planning on reviewing the new debut Stephen Wilson Jr. record, Trigger? I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on it.
September 17, 2023 @ 9:20 am
It’s on the list along with 31 other albums released on Friday, including multiple double albums like Stephen Wilson Jr.’s.
September 17, 2023 @ 3:18 pm
Listened to this a few times…I like it.
September 18, 2023 @ 5:51 am
Who Margo Price wishes she was…also, surprised no post about Maren’s “exit” from country music.
September 18, 2023 @ 6:39 am
I will have something on the Maren Morris exit soon, but not in lieu of covering the massive release week we had on Friday, Hank’s 100th birthday, or the death of Dave Roe. Little miss “I want all the attention” will get her turn. But there are more important priorities.
September 18, 2023 @ 8:36 am
very good album , even better and more colorful than her previous.
September 18, 2023 @ 9:38 am
Strong review of a superb album, as we’ve come to expect from you (Trigger). I am starting to feeling like COUNTRY is too broad a term to be meaningful. Isn’t Cilker’s music more “western” than “country”? Same with Colter Wall, Charley Crockett, etc. (C&W used to used together to denote an entire musical style, right?) I guess what I’m asking is how you — Trigger — define COUNTRY these days. Who fits within that framework and who doesn’t, and what’s worth saving in the end?
September 19, 2023 @ 12:17 am
Good songs; I definitely want to listen to this later this week when I have more time. When comparing to much of the music reviewed here that I have trouble getting in to, I think about how easily a different producer might have ruined this.
September 19, 2023 @ 6:11 am
I listened to this album once yesterday and immediately made the purchase. Good writing, nice mix of up-tempo songs and slower numbers, a fun sense of humor is shot through it, and, as Trig’s review notes, it conveys a great sense of place. I like it more than her debut album. Margo’s really building something.
September 19, 2023 @ 6:22 am
Learned about Margo from your review of her first album, Trig. Absolutely loved that debut—had very few imperfect moments. One of my favorites of that year (2021, maybe?).
This is why I read this site, cuz it’s certainly not for the rants about Maren Morris. Cheers.
September 20, 2023 @ 4:59 am
Great review, had not heard Margo before and loved the album!