Thalia Zedek is well into her fourth decade as a rock’n’roll poet and purveyor of shredded blues, and this stands to be a banner year for the Boston native. In May, the estimable Matador Records will reissue her most well-loved band’s influential 1992 debut, Eleven: Eleven by Come. But before that happens, the former frontwoman of Live Skull, Uzi and the rest has plans to deliver her first solo album in five years (also her fifth solo album), Via, due March 19 on Thrill Jockey. The label explains that the LP was written in two distinct sessions — one with Come drummer Daniel Coughlin, and later with Son Volt skinsman Dave Bryson. Considering its heart-wrenching slowcore crawl, “Walk Away” could have certainly come from the second period. Over jangling guitar and a weeping violin, Zedek sings like Bob Dylan fronting a late ’80s college radio outfit, documenting a friend or lover’s painful egress in gripping detail. “Walk Away” is a beautiful song that bodes well for Via, so perhaps we should stick around instead.
Thalia Zedek, Via track list:
1. “Walk Away”
2. “Winning Hand”
3. “Get Away”
4. “He Said”
5. “In This World”
6. “Straight and Strong”
7. “Go Home”
8. “Lucky One”
9. “Want You to Know
