Review: Maia Sharp Takes Stock in Both Kindness and Compassion on ‘Reckless Thoughts’

MAIA SHARP
RECKLESS THOUGHTS
(Self-released)
****

Maia Sharp’s ninth solo album, tellingly titled Reckless  Thoughts, is the latest accomplishment in a career that includes sharing her songwriting skills with Bonnie Raitt, Trisha Yearwood, Cher, and Art Garfunkel, among many others.

The new album offers insight and intelligence gleaned from a more nuanced perspective. Opening track “She’ll Let Herself Out” more or less sets the tone by describing her newly liberated attitude. The gentle and assured “Old Dreams” reaffirms the appreciation she found after her move to Nashville. That was the old me, she didn’t know what she was living for, she insists, continuing her celebratory stance on “On a Good Day,” the sweetly serendipitous song that follows.

Although nine out of its 10 tunes are co-writes— Kim Richey, Garrison Starr, Dean Fields, and Mindy Smith are among those that share the song credits—each is gleaned from a decidedly personal perspective. The telling and tender “California” offers an ode to her former environs. (I never thought I’d leave you, she confesses), before launching into the upbeat and infectious “Kind,” a song that rejoices in the community that she’s embraced and engaged with in her new surroundings. Sharp has a way of conveying evocative emotions in ways that reflect shared sentiment that nearly everyone can relate to. At the same time, certain songs—“Gone Cryin’,” “Everything You Need,” and “The Road To Hell and Back”—provide assurance and affirmation, qualities that often seem in short supply in a world where divide and discontent seem to be the norm.

Ultimately, Reckless Thoughts comes across as a calming, contemplative, and confessional set of songs that reaffirm the fact that Sharp is truly a treasure in terms of her ability to craft compelling songs that bear an affirmative attitude, one that takes stock in both kindness and compassion and uses them to the best advantage. In the end, that’s truly something to savor.