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Valley of Heart's Delight

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For the location, see Santa Clara Valley.

Valley of Heart's Delight
A photo of Cilker lying on a hilltop over a valley
Studio album by
Margo Cilker
ReleasedSeptember 15, 2023 (2023-09-15)
GenreAmericana[1][2]
Length37:53
LabelFluff & Gravy
ProducerSera Cahoone
Margo Cilker chronology
Pohorylle
(2021) 		Valley of Heart's Delight
(2023)

"I wrote these songs surrounded by the wild landscapes of the Northwest, but I was leaning toward the place I'd come from. I felt cut off from my family and the valley that held them. I spent hours thinking about my sense of belonging. I'd traveled through many places and then, when the travel stopped, I ruminated on where I had ended up."

—Cilker on writing songs for Valley of Heart's Delight[3]

Valley of Heart's Delight is a 2023 studio album by American country musician Margo Cilker. The album has received positive reviews from critics and investigates Cilker's childhood growing up in the Santa Clara Valley.[4]

Reception

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According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Valley of Heart's Delight received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 from 6 critic scores.[5] In American Songwriter, Hal Horowitz gave this album 4 out of 5 stars, noting Cilker's ability to mix music genres and concluding that the album "proves herself to be one of our finest and most literate songwriters".[6] Online retailer Bandcamp chose this among the best country music of September 2023, with Ben Salmon calling Cilker "a stunning songwriting talent".[7] A roundup of notable releases of the week from BrooklynVegan included this release and critic Andrew Sacher writing that Cilker "has an equal knack for time-tested country music traditions and the humble modernity of indie folk, coupled with an envious ability to write songs that you feel like you've known your whole life yet still sound new and fresh".[8] John Moore of Glide Magazine called this work "one of the most compelling albums of the genre so far this year" and "a near flawless exercise in songwriting".[9]

No Depression's Maeri Ferguson wrote that Cilker's discussion of labor and everyday life is delivered with "a voice that manages to convey such emotion, but feels utterly effortless" and concludes that "whether she's making you laugh or cry, she feels like a friend, her songs a warm hand to hold".[10] Writing for The Observer, Neil Spencer stating that "there's a strong streak of nostalgia in the songs" for Cilker's life in California and he rated the album 4 out of 5 stars.[1] In an 8.8 out of 10 review from Matt Mitchell in Paste, this work is declared "a dashing and brilliant leap of Americana" that "sounds like [Cilker]'s got a century's worth of stories to tell";[2] editors of the magazine chose it as one of the best albums of September 2023.[11] At PopMatters, Steve Horowitz noted the similarities in tone and musicianship with Cilker's last album, stating that there is "a sonic connection to her original record and gives the record a new sound" and notes the strengths of the lyrics, where the singer acts "as a stand-in for all of us"; he scored the album an 8 out of 10.[12] In Rolling Stone, Jonathan Bernstein called this album "a big leap forward" for Cilker while also being a continuation of the work done on Pohorylle.[13] Editors at Stereogum chose this as Album of the Week and critic Chris DeVille calling the music "subtly spectacular results" of Cilker's recording process and he particularly praised her lyrics, calling her "a remarkable lyricist carving out her own space within a grand tradition, always subverting Americana tropes or finding ways to make them feel new".[14] Uncut editor Michael Bonner included this album on his list of the best of the year.[15]

Valley of Heart's Delight in best-of lists
Outlet Listing Rank
Bandcamp[16] The Best Country Music of 2023 —
BrooklynVegan[17] 13 Great Country Albums from 2023 —
Mojo[18] The 75 Best Albums of 2023 72
NPR Music[19] The 50 Best Albums of 2023 —
El País[20] The best music albums of 2023 12
Paste[21] The 30 Best Country, Folk, and Americana Albums of 2023 —
Qobuz[22] The Best Albums of 2023 —
Rolling Stone[23] Best Country and Americana Albums of 2023 —
Stereogum[24] Best Country Albums Of 2023 (Marissa R. Moss) 4
Uncut[25] The 75 Best Albums of 2023 15

Valley of Heart's Delight was nominated for International Album of the Year at the UK Americana Music Awards.[26]

Track listing

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All songs written by Margo Cilker, except where noted.

  1. "Lowland Trail" – 2:24
  2. "Keep It on a Burner" – 4:27
  3. "I Remember Carolina" (Margo Cilker and Forrest VanTuyl) – 4:54
  4. "Beggar for Your Love" – 3:27
  5. "Mother Told Her Mother Told Me" – 3:56
  6. "With the Middle" – 3:27
  7. "Santa Rosa" – 2:30
  8. "Crazy or Died" – 3:14
  9. "Steelhead Trout" (Ben Walden) – 2:22
  10. "Sound & Fury" (Cilker and VanTuyl) – 3:34
  11. "All Tied Together" (Cilker and VanTuyl) – 3:35

Personnel

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  • Margo Cilker – guitars, lead vocals
  • John Morgan Askew – banjo, recording, mixing at Bocce
  • Jen Borst – cover photograph
  • Paul Brainard – guitars, pedal steel guitar
  • Sera Cahoone – drums, vocals, production
  • Sarah Cilker – vocals
  • Jenny Conlee-Drizos – piano, accordion, organ
  • JJ Golden – mastering at Golden Mastering
  • Caleb Klauder – mandolin, vocals
  • Jared Leake – illustration
  • John Morgan Askew – banjo
  • Kelly Pratt – horns
  • Matt Sharkey – additional photography
  • Annie Staninec – violin, viola
  • Ben Walden – vocals, harmonica
  • Rebecca Young – bass

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Spencer, Neil (September 9, 2023). "Margo Cilker: Valley of Heart's Delight review – more engaging, minimal Americana". Review. The Observer. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 0029-7712. OCLC 50230244. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Mitchell, Matt (September 14, 2023). "On Valley Of Heart's Delight, Margo Cilker Turns Restlessness Into Poetry". Music > Reviews > Margo Cilker. Paste. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Freeman, Jon (May 12, 2023). "Margo Cilker Hunts for a 'Lowland Trail' in First Release From New Album". Country. Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  4. ^ Kane, Karla (November 29, 2023). "Inside Margo Cilker's new album, 'Valley of Heart's Delight'". Arts. Palo Alto Weekly. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  5. ^ "Valley of Heart's Delight by Margo Cilker Reviews and Tracks – Metacritic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. n.d. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Horowitz, Hal (September 13, 2023). "Review: Margo Cilker Can't Go Home Again on the Stirring 'Valley of Heart's Delights'". Reviews > Album Reviews. American Songwriter. ISSN 0896-8993. OCLC 17342741. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  7. ^ Salmon, Ben (October 4, 2023). "The Best Country Music on Bandcamp: September 2023". Best Country. Bandcamp. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  8. ^ Sacher, Andrew (September 15, 2023). "Album Reviews: Mitski, Tomb Mold, Baroness & more". Notable Releases of the Week. BrooklynVegan. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  9. ^ Moore, John (September 12, 2023). "Margo Cilker Offers Flawless Exercise in Songwriting with 'Valley of Heart's Delight'". Album Reviews. Glide Magazine. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  10. ^ Ferguson, Maeri (September 13, 2023). "Snapshots of Living Fully Fill Margo Cilker's 'Valley of Heart's Delight'". Reviews. No Depression. ISSN 1088-4971. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Mitchell, Matt (October 2, 2023). "The Best Albums of September 2023". Music > Lists > Best Albums. Paste. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  12. ^ Horowitz, Steve (October 18, 2023). "Margo Cilker Finds Her Inner 'Valley of Heart's Delight'". Reviews. PopMatters. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  13. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (September 11, 2023). "Margo Cilker's First Album Was a Sleeper Hit. Now What?". Artist You Need to Know. Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  14. ^ DeVille, Chris (September 12, 2023). "Margo Cilker's 'Valley Of Heart's Delight' Review". Album Of The Week. Stereogum. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  15. ^ Bonner, Michael (December 6, 2023). "The Best Albums Of 2023 – the Editor's picks". Features > Blogs. Uncut. ISSN 1368-0722. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Salmon, Ben (December 11, 2023). "The Best Country Music of 2023". Bandcamp. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  17. ^ Sacher, Andrew (December 22, 2023). "13 Great Country Albums from 2023". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  18. ^ "MOJO's Top 75 Albums of 2023". BrooklynVegan. November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023. from the original in Mojo, issue 362 (ISSN 1351-0193
  19. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". NPR Music. NPR. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  20. ^ Navarro, Fernando (December 24, 2023). "The best music albums of 2023". Music. El País. ISSN 0213-4608. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  21. ^ Mitchell, Matt (December 25, 2023). "The 30 Best, Country, Folk, and Americana Albums of 2023". Music > Lists > Best Albums. Paste. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  22. ^ "The Best Albums of 2023". Qobuz Magazine. Qobuz. December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  23. ^ "The 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2023". Music > Music Country Lists. Rolling Stone. December 15, 2023. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  24. ^ Moss, Marissa R. (December 8, 2023). "Best Country Albums Of 2023". 2023 in Review. Stereogum. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  25. ^ Sacher, Andrew (November 9, 2023). "Uncut's Top 75 Albums of 2023". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved November 15, 2023. from the original in Uncut, January 2024 (ISSN 1368-0722
  26. ^ Richards, Sam (November 28, 2023). "Jason Isbell to perform at UK Americana Music Awards 2024". News. Uncut. ISSN 1368-0722. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
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