Update as of 12/31/21: Both of Lydia Loveless’s concerts at FitzGerald’s have been postponed in deference to the COVID-19 surge. New dates have not yet been announced.
In August, Lydia Loveless released two songs digitally that deserve a proper vinyl seven-inch treatment. For the B side, I’d pick “You’re Leaving Me,” a moody country torch song with indie-rock sensibilities that demonstrates Loveless’s skill at creating tiny, lethal melodramas with her words (“You write the story for me / It’s the only story I want to read / Even at the part where you say you’re leaving me”). On her 2020 album, Daughter, Loveless’s biting lyrics and raw, rough electric-guitar sound bolstered her place in the alt-country canon, and her ace songwriting reminded listeners that she’s more than a singer. But “You’re Leaving Me” captures the Ohio native at an entirely new peak. Her voice sounds more mature and syrupy in a way that recalls late-80s soft-mullet-style Reba McEntire—whose 1987 single “The Last One to Know” also told a tale of a woman struggling to understand how her relationship went so wrong. For the A side of my imaginary future Loveless seven-inch, I’d choose the radio-ready “Let’s Make Out,” a breezy, ebullient track with a bouncy chorus and country-rock riffs that contrast nicely with the somber “You’re Leaving Me.” Loveless recently finished a tour through the southern and western U.S. with fellow indie singer Lilly Hiatt, and she’s coming to Berwyn for two New Year’s shows at FitzGerald’s. If you plan on attending the first, be sure to get there on time so you can hear the velvety high tenor of Chicago country crooner Andrew Sa, who opens the night.
Lydia Loveless, Andrew Sa Fri 12/31, 9:30 PM, FitzGerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt, Berwyn, $49, 21+
Lydia Loveless, Todd May & Jay Glasper Sat 1/1, 8:30 PM, FitzGerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt, Berwyn, $20, 21+