Allison Russell’s ‘The Returner’ Review: The Joy of Survival
Allison Russell explores what it means to deliberately thrive on her beautifully crafted sophomore album.
“Adieu, adieu, to that tunnel I went through,” Allison Russell sings with a satisfied glee in her voice on the opening track of her second solo outing. Coming after her powerful and acclaimed debut, The Returner (★★★★★) sits firmly in the present, looking at a world in tumult, and choosing to stubbornly and self-consciously insist on a more joyful present instead — in Russell’s words, “stealing joy from the teeth of turmoil.”
This focus on joy and immediacy represents a noticeable shift away from Outside Child and its meditations on past traumas and the scars they leave in the present day. In the title track, she muses on the idea of happily giving in to oblivion, framing it as an ecstatic return to the world.
To embrace that return is to give something up and shed parts of herself, but this is welcomed with a sense of relief. The way it nods towards struggle even as it embraces a more hopeful reality recurs throughout the album, making its upbeat nature feel all the more intense and real. Far from blind or vapid optimism, this is a survivor’s hard-won joy that comes after overcoming intense struggle.
To listen to The Returner is to experience the same sense of transcendence that also suffused many of the tracks on Outside Child. Russell, along with her co-writers JT Nero and Drew Lindsay, has once again crafted a series of songs that easily and naturally bring a listener on a journey into another world.
Skillful production and instrumentation allow her to flesh out the journey she seeks to take us on. She lends a dream-like quality to tracks like “Snake Life,” a slowly unfolding psychedelic dream that removes itself from the present day and not only imagines but actively attempts to summon a gentler, more harmonious world into existence. Between the dreamy instrumentals and the resolve in Russell’s voice, it’s hard not to believe that this world might be just around the corner.
The expansive and rhythm-forward sound of The Returner was, by all indications, a deliberate product of the songwriting process and one that pays off well. Russell has a foot firmly planted in the folk and Americana sounds that marked her work as part of Birds of Chicago and Po’ Girl. Moments like the straightforward toe-tapping roots rock groove of “Demons” indicate that she is still firmly grounded in that tradition, although there is a noticeable funk influence that creeps in.
The propulsive pop rock-adjacent guitar and strings in “Stay Right Here” add drama and urgency to a song about her desire to protect her daughter and allow her to thrive and flourish. Elsewhere, funk and disco elements blend together with folk and Americana as they do on “Springtime,” which proudly delivers her mission statement in lyrics that shift between English and French over the song’s hypnotic groove. The funk beats in particular come back with a vengeance on the sensual “All Without Within,” a song that embraces and celebrates a mutually giving form of intimacy.
In the lead-up to its release, Russell herself has been quick to note that The Returner is a child of many parents, with a gifted roster of musicians and some impressive collaborators backing up her efforts. Notably, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, and Hozier all provide backing vocals for the haunting closing track “Requiem.” The effect of three artists with such distinct voices lending them in a way that renders them all but indistinguishable is arresting and is a pointed reminder that art is a collective, community matter.
As much as this album may be the work of many hands, however, Russell herself cannot help but remain at the center as its powerful leading creative force. In that capacity, she has delivered an incredible album that is no less moving than her debut even as it moves in a markedly different direction. A spellbinding work that is more than the sum of its brilliant parts, The Returner is a declaration and a reminder that survival need not be a grim, serious matter, and that joy is an option even in the face of incredible trauma.
The Returner is available to purchase and stream in all formats.
Allison Russell is currently touring the U.S. and Canada, including a stop in Washington, D.C. at The Anthem on Oct. 17, as part of the Loveloud Festival. Visit www.allisonrussellmusic.com/tour.
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