Aimee Mann has made an incredible transformation over her storied career. From her years as lead singer of ‘Til Tuesday, her work has become a staple of modern American songwriting. It would be better to be able to say that she is a household name, but many people do not realize that her songs were both the inspiration for and the soundtrack of the 1999 film Magnolia. On the soon-to-be-released The Forgotten Arm, she has turned her gift for crafting musical short stories into a full-length tale. The concept of the album revolves around a troubled trip across America with John, a Vietnam veteran and boxer, and Caroline, the girl who steals his heart at the Virginia State Fair. Aimee uses the concept of the album as a muse through which to wrestle with the vigorous dichotomy of relationships, dealing with the struggles of drug addiction, and the search for a spiritual connection to the things that matter the most to us. The album’s 12 individual, yet totally intertwined, snapshots evoke a sentimentality reminiscent of the feeling one might get from viewing a black-and-white Life Magazine photo essay or a book of photos by Stephen Shore, Diane Arbus or William Eggleston. It is a survey of the human condition examining common struggles via the two protagonists as they desperately search for their place in the world around them through one another. I find that there is actually a freshness in the instrumentation similarities between each song, a rawer and more direct sound quality than her last album, 2002’s Lost In Space. Recorded over a 5-day period with producer-singer-songwriter Joe Henry, the quick-paced, natural recording style highlights Aimee’s painfully honest delivery without the need for complicated effects and overdubs. Aimee Mann has crafted a literate, insightful slice of Americana that gets better with repeated listenings.

One thing I really respect about Aimee Mann is that people who do what I’m doing in this review try to use their words to describe other people’s art. Aimee Mann is one of the only musicians I know about whom art has been used to describe her words (in the form of the movie Magnolia). The Forgotten Arm is an accomplished work that has been well worth the wait.

You can listen to three songs (including this one) from the new album, simply click here and wait for the Flash player to load.

You can (and should) advance order the CD by clicking below.

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