Lisa Michelle Anderson
Get to Somewhere
(Independent)
There’s not a lot of meat on the songs of Berkshires-based Lisa Michelle Anderson’s Get to Somewhere, but since when has that been a prerequisite in pop music? With its county-fair cover art, the disc is unabashedly a summer record, loaded with laid-back, country-tinged numbers tailor-made for evenings when the light hangs long in the sky. With tracks like the winking “Goin’ Where Joni Went” and “Devil on My Back,” Somewhere plays like a bantamweight take on Amy Speace’s Songs for Bright Street, albeit without that closet classic’s edgy drive. Anderson’s tendency to sing behind the beat is a delicious artistic move, keeping the listener leaning forward. Gently produced in Western Massachusetts by Johnny Irion, Somewhere boasts, particularly on the title track, instrumentation just right for Anderson’s mellow grooves and softly smoky voice, while his lead guitar adds welcome teeth atop loping rhythms.
This article appears in September 2025.
