Mistress Mary :: Housewife

mm“Mistress” Mary Afton’s sad ‘n’ sultry “And I Didn’t Want You” was one of the (many) highlights on Numero Group’s fantastic Cosmic American Music collection of private press country rock released earlier this year. Now, Companion Records has conveniently reissued Housewife, her lone LP, in full so we can check out Afton’s unique musical vision — “country-western, some soft-soul, some what-ever,” she writes in the liners.

Recorded in 1968, this isn’t your average private press LP; not many private press LPs can boast Byrds guitarist extraordinaire Clarence White as lead guitarist. There’s nothing quite as good as the captivating “And I Didn’t Want You,” but Housewife is still an extremely solid slice of SoCal country rock meets sunshine pop — the kind of thing that would’ve sounded right at home on Lee Hazlewood’s LHI Records, with Afton’s mellow drawl and wry lyrics accompanied by White’s always superb playing. Companion has done a great job bringing Housewife back to life, complete with its tongue-in-cheek glamour girl cover photo, Afton’s handwritten notes, and a handful of excellent digital bonus tracks. Highly recommended. words / t wilcox

Mistress Mary :: And I Didn’t Want You