Search - Marshall Chapman :: Blaze of Glory

Marshall Chapman has been making records for longer than most of today's indie rockers have been alive. Blaze of Glory is her 13th release, her seventh on Tallgirl Records.

At age 64, Chapman is, as author Peter Guralnick put it, "a force of nature." Some might argue she's even picking up steam. In the last two and a half years, she's had a book published (They Came To Nashville), seen her musical Good Ol' Girls (adapted from the fiction of Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle, featuring songs by Chapman and Matraca Berg) open off-Broadway, acted in a movie (playing Gwyneth Paltrow's road manager in Country Strong), and recorded two albums - Big Lonesome (named "Best Country/Roots Album of 2010" by the Philadelphia Inquirer), and the soon-to-be-released Blaze of Glory.

"I felt, at the time, like Big Lonesome was my best," Chapman says. "So it was a no-brainer bringing in the same crew - Mike Utley, Will Kimbrough, Jim Mayer and Casey Wood - for Blaze of Glory." The album kicks off with "Love in the Wind," a duet with Todd Snider, a longtime friend for whom Chapman opened many shows while promoting her previous album.

Marshall attributes time spent in Mexico as the inspiration for many of the songs. "I had myself convinced my muse lived down there," she says. "To dig deep, you have to live deep. That's great for songwriting, but it can be hell on a marriage. I had to pull back, which was painful. For a while, all I could see was my own mortality staring me in the face."

Lucinda Williams, who recently listened to Blaze of Glory, had this to say: "[Marshall's] voice sounds warm with a certain soulful, cool edge that really stands out. The production, up close and real. (F-king great band!) The songs give a nod to the past in a very hip way. I found myself singing along with 'I Don't Want Nobody.' Love the duet with Todd Snider. You done good, Marshall!"