When the next recording from a good artist is somewhat weak.

One of the things I find interesting is when you are following an artist and all of a sudden the next album they produce is not as good as the last. Levon Helm’s Dirt Farmer was really good, but somehow his next just didn’t compare. I enjoyed Lorrie McKenna’a first 2 albums then the third (with a major record company?) just sounded so much more ordinary (like whatever was different about her first 2 just got lost) … over production? Then Lucinda William’s latest one … all those happy songs … I looked at the lyrics … somewhat weak. She got away with it to a degree because of the music and her voice. I found the same with the second album from Band Of Heathens and Ryan Bingham … just not as good. I don’t expect them to be the same … the artist will be moving on somewhat … but somehow expect the quality of the songs to remain high, their recordings that they make to be different from the pack … something in their voice or music that makes them stand out.