Iris Dement – The Way I Should

If June and Ward Cleaver had conceived a daughter — in addition to Wally and the Beav — and that daughter had been a folk singer, the third Cleaver child very well could have been Iris DeMent. DeMent appears to share many traits with the Cleaver household — she’s honest, practical, sensible, parent-loving, and God-fearing, all character traits that are explored in her music. With Iris in the household, Eddie Haskell wouldn’t have had a chance.

DeMent writes traditional-sounding folk songs, but she frequently pulls in topical issues. On “Quality Time”, she manages to lampoon overachievers and Beavis & Butthead in the same song. From some singers this might sound condescending or preachy, but DeMent’s own character seems almost constitutionally incapable of bitterness.

This is her third album, and if there is a predominant theme in these 11 songs, it is acceptance. “There’s a Wall in Washington” is about the sadness of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, while “The Way I Should” is about the self-acceptance that comes with age.

This may be the year that God became a worthy subject for a rock ‘n’ roll song, but DeMent has been singing the deity’s praises since her first album, Infamous Angel, and she weighs in here with “Keep Me God”. “When My Mornin’ Comes Around” also seems God-touched, in the form of DeMent’s aching soprano. The old-timey sound of this album references both the Carter Family and the Stanley Brothers, while simultaneously sounding modern.

DeMent’s last album, My Life, seemed haunted by the death of her father, and on The Way I Should, she continues to sing more about her family than about herself. But whether it’s Cleaver or DeMent, these are family values worth standing up for.