ALBUM REVIEW: Julien Baker and Torres Offer Catchy Songs, Friendship, and Chemistry on ‘Send a Prayer My Way’

Singer-songwriters Julien Baker and Mackenzie Scott (aka Torres) have joined forces to create a set of catchy and heartfelt songs with a country twinge. Following the successes of boygenius (featuring Baker) and Torres’ sixth solo album released last year, the pair alternate lead and supporting vocals, feeding off each other like old friends. Send a Prayer My Way’s country ambience, bolstered by banjo, fiddle, and pedal steel parts, rings authentic, setting an ideal soundtrack for driving with the windows down on a spring day or sitting outside in June while fireflies light up the evening.

The artists, both known for their pensive leanings, sound like they’re actually having fun together. Even a song such as “Dirt,” which dips into melancholia, has a lyrically encouraging tone. “Half the time I’m only skating by,” Baker sings, though the song is uplifted by the duo’s obvious simpatico. In this way, even though the track addresses the pull of depression, it implicitly furthers a positive message: Love and connection can carry people through most anything.

On “Tuesday,” Scott is refreshingly equanimous, as she describes a relationship she had with another woman, whose conservative mother disapproved of their “sinful” union. The singer lies about the nature of the relationship to appease the mom, but feels flooded by shame, taking “a knife to the paper-thin skin on my arm.” Even as Scott captures a real-life anguish, illustrating how prejudice against same-sex relationships is still rampant, she does so via an ebullient melody and a satirical tone.

That lyrical and melodic give-and-take continues on “Off the Wagon,” as Baker describes being trapped in addiction and financial struggles. The bright, strummed guitar and wistful fiddle make for a fertile contrast, convincing listeners that she seems to be in a good space, even when remembering a bad time.

Country music’s influences are never too far from the surface of Send a Prayer My Way. “The Only Marble I’ve Got Left” makes use of a honky-tonk beat and a melody that classic country artists and experimental newcomers like Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris, and Angel Olsen would all surely approve. “No Desert Flower” is rooted in tradition, a strummed guitar crossed with pedal steel sweeps. On “Tape Runs Out,” Baker dives into the vintage and contemporary Americana songbooks, drawing from The Be Good Tanyas as much as The Carter Family.

Throughout Send a Prayer My Way, the duo offers a laidback masterclass class on nailing organic harmonies. Their distinct voices are juxtaposed, yet complementary. Additionally, the album brims with hooks and effective instrumental accompaniments. More compelling than the songs and musicianship, however, is the album’s life-affirming energy. A sense of mutual admiration saturates the project, and that chemistry makes the record.

Julian Baker & Torres’ Send A Prayer My Way is due out April 18, 2025 via Matador Records.