Pushin' Against a Stone

This is a great folk/soul album. I don’t think many people realize how much influence black folks have had on what we consider to be American folk music. Much of what AP Carter and Alan Lomax codified as American folk music was directly recorded from black people in the rural south. As someone who plays traditional American folk music, I care about the truth of where our music comes from and whose story is being left out. Valerie June is reclaiming that story and I’m glad she’s represented here. Thank you to whoever included her!

Something fully new to me, which is always nice. I sort of vacillated over whether I felt like the old timey vocal style was too much of an affectation. It seems like she probably came by it honestly and I ended up feeling like I generally liked it, but that it might wear thin at length. The instrumentation did the job but a lot of it felt fairly nondescript.

Dan Auberbach is the master of spending a small fortune to make something sound like it was authentically recorded badly in 1964, isn't he? Beautiful voice, lovely melodies, but the production left me very cold. I'll definitely listen to more from the artist, but I want to hear how she sounds when not forced to perform through pretentiously vintage kit!

Wow just a delightful mix of Blues, R&B, gospel, and Bluegrass. Utterly unique and utterly American.

It's an unbelievably calm album, straddling a few different genres. It's old school, but with a new world feel. Interesting listen.

I really, *really* tried to have this record click with me -- especially since my partner loves Valerie June's later LP *The Moon And Stars...*. Unfortunately, it didn't really work. June's vinegary voice is simply extraordinary, and Dan Auerbach's vintage production and arrangements are tasteful as f*ck. The updated slave narrative undertones of "Workin' woman Blues" hearken back to pivotal shapes taken by American folk music in the past, "Wanna Be On Your Mind" and the title track have a classic soul and rhythm'n'blues feel that could indeed be deemed cinematic, "On My Way" even successfully explores fiddle-enhanced C&W turf, and the whole thing exudes with good intentions and more-than-competent handling. Yet there's the other side of that coin to consider for me: the utter lack of real surprises, ultimately. Indeed, no real harmonic or melodic spike attracted my attention here (bar one exception, but more on that later). Everything plays along some sort of well-established program, tastefully, but also in a fashion that sounds a little vapid to my ears. Worse, the accumulation of those decent-yet-streamlined-to-a-fault cuts ends up giving a "meat-and-potatoes" effect to the whole thing. Good taste sometimes hides lack of imagination and very conventional reflexes. It's one thing to properly convey a "vintage" feel, which is already admirable on a purely technical standpoint. But it's another to make said vintage aesthetics feel artistically *vital* in the 21st century. I know I'm probably being too severe for a lot of people here, and for the record, I'm not trying to rain on their parade, I'm just being honest about the whole thing. Plus, there's the exception I have mentioned earlier, which is the barebones acoustic closer "Hey", incidentally one of the compositions Valerie June wrote without the help of Auerbach. At last, some welcome ambiguity lingers in the chorus of that song. Which made me wonder whether June should trust her instincts more and not let too many outsiders interfere with her writing process, at least if her goal is to leave a stronger imprint as a creator and not simply as a performer... But what do I know, huh? So even if that cool melancholic track *did* click with me, it's too little and far too late for me anyway. I really wanted to add that album cover to my gallery of high-rated LPs. Yet I would lie to myself if I did so. Objectively and intellectually speaking, there's not much to fault this album with. But subjectively and in purely sensorial terms, I'm clearly bored when I listen to it. Please don't tell my girlfriend, lol. ---- 3/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 8/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3). ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 32 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 40 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 76 (including this one) --- Émile, il y a déjà une partie de mes réponses au-dessus. Il y en aura d'autres en dessous..

Truly wonderful

Wow… this was a unique album! Sounded absolutely wonderful with that bluegrass-tinted vocal delivery. Wonderful addition to the list.

So lovely. A favorite of mine.

Super cool!!!

I just love getting an album I've never heard of that blows me away with its amazingness. This puts together so many wonderful things in its own distinctive blend. Yay Valerie June!

I love this album & would have considered it being my add! Valerie has such a unique voice

I started listening to this and loved it, got high and loved it even more. Just immaculate voice and immaculate vibes from start to finish.

I was familiar with this album before and I've enjoyed it quite a bit. It's some great music from a fantastic artist. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes. Not essential but probably could have made it on.

Absolutely stunning. Amazing voice. Wondrous production. I've never heard of her. This is my first 5 from 43 user submitted albums. Top choice.

All the genres, but not cluttered. Could have been released any time between 1940 and 2040, other than the purity of production and recording, without sounding out of place. An artist who I will be looking out for from now on; thanks for the tip.

Amazing album.. Brilliant

I don't know how this flew under my radar for so long as it checks so many boxes for me: Americana, soul, psychedelic- and indie-folk. Thank you to whoever submitted this… it’s phenomenal.

The breadth of this album is incredible. June’s singing manages to effortlessly mould itself to every iteration of soul music from pop to old-timey blues to hard rock and (of course) that mild-sauce indie sound that every hipster burger joint played in the 2010s. I’m also a sucker for the vintage aesthetic.

I really liked this a lot. Very unexpected, given that the genre listed is Soul. Sounds much more traditional folk/Americana to me, and I like it. 4 stars.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Wanna be on your mind, You can’t be told, Somebody to love

I really quite dig this, nice blend of genres, Dan Auerbach production. Dumped a few songs onto some playlists

7/10. Pleasant, but probably ultimately forgettable.

Amazing voice. Very calming music. Loved it

Her vocal style really works for me and the bluesy and soulful arrangements are enjoyable. Wanna Be On Your Mind and Pushin' Against a Stone work best for me. Though there are a few tracks that are kinda 'meh', there is enough passion and power in the style that made it an enjoyable surprise.

I like the classical soul and roots music on this album. Not very original, but splendid performances by singer and band.

Chill bluesy folk

This was a pretty lovely discovery. A very soulful kind of country album with eclectic vocals and a vintage style that never felt too over the top and still managed to sound fresh and inspired

Loved this, great example of a modern retro album, great voice. Thanks to whoever submitted this album it’s going straight into my frequent rotation and I’ll be listening to further Valerie June albums,

Beautiful soulful folk, an unexpected joy.

very pleasant, will listen again.

This is really cool. An album filled with refreshing country ballads with real feeling and soul.

Listening to Pushin’ Against a Stone is like trying to categorize a ghost—technically impossible, but you can feel it hovering. It's folk and it's soul and it's country and it's blues, but it’s none of those things if you’re a purist. June’s voice is what you'd hear if Dolly Parton was raised on Memphis street corners by Billie Holiday and sprinkled with stardust from Sun Ra’s closet. It's nasal and creaky and cosmic. It's the sound of someone who never once considered auto-tune but might use moonlight as reverb. The album opens with “Workin’ Woman Blues,” a declaration that feels like it was etched onto a train car with a switchblade. It pulses with upright bass and fluttery horns like it got lost on the way to a Stax session and decided to invent a new genre instead. It’s not just a working-class anthem—it’s a séance for the ghosts of every underpaid waitress in Tennessee. And then there’s “Somebody to Love.” This isn’t the Queen song. It’s not even the Jefferson Airplane song. It’s the Valerie June song, which means it feels like it came from an alternate universe where heartbreak sounds like banjos orbiting a dying star. And when she sings “I want somebody to love,” she’s not whining. She’s testifying, like someone who already knows the cosmos heard her and is just being fashionably late. The production (helmed by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and Kevin Augunas) is refreshingly analog in an era where even folk singers sound like they’re performing inside a MacBook. It’s messy in the right ways. It breathes. It creaks. It wears boots instead of shoes. Auerbach tries to keep the album on the tracks, but Valerie June keeps steering it toward the woods—and thank God for that. What makes Pushin’ Against a Stone remarkable isn’t just the songs (though they’re phenomenal) or the vocals (which are extraterrestrial), but the spirit of it. It sounds like the work of someone who’s been around for a thousand years, scraping stories off the walls of time. It’s the kind of album that makes you re-check the release date because it doesn’t make sense that this came out in 2013. It doesn’t even make sense that it came out on Earth. To say that Pushin’ Against a Stone is good feels like missing the point. It's not just good. It’s elemental. It's an album that resists commodification. Valerie June doesn’t want to be famous; she wants to be eternal. And albums like this? They are.

Loved it! Perfect fit for the list. Might share this with my wife

I went back and forth on this album a bit. I think it could be produced much better (or else the copy I listened to was pretty poor). What got me about it was the 60s soul/girl group feel to it. You can hear it in the music, but it's also there in the vocal harmonies. They get a bit muddy sometimes, but I've given albums the benefit of the doubt before for production issues, and I when I set them aside here, I really like the style of this album. It's vintage, but fresh at the same time 4/5

Not surprised when reading up on it that someone from The Black Keys was involved in producing this. This slots very cleanly into that wave of folk rock revival that was going on during the 2010s, made more interesting by ditching the rock angle and just going for straight singer-songwriter instead. I liked it.

This was a great album, really enjoyed this on a lazy morning with my coffee.

I liked this, it was soooo and bluesy and nice.

I found this album completely charming and engaging.

Starts off very strong, loses steam towards the end, but never overstays it's welcome. Weaves seamlessly between soul, country and blues. Well worth your time!

This was just kinda nice. Bit of a shame I've turned to stone after looking at the album cover though.

Amy Beerhouse.

Not what I was expecting really, but also exactly what I was expecting in spots. The folk songs on this are incredible and Valerie June’s voice is incredible. A very nice, relaxing record after a hard days work. Great submission.

here's a name I've heard but didn't know her work at all. Very unique vocals, cool mix of bluegrass, blues, country.

I had missed this release completely, but I did really enjoy it. Great songwriting, and I could hear the influence of the Black Keys in the best ways.

Rootsy. Don’t really warm to her slightly whiny voice.

Really enjoyable 4 3

I like the more soulful songs, but I don't like the folky ones nearly as much, especially the sparer, slower ones.

Pleasant listen.

Liked this, listened to it multiple times already. it goes a bit too country at times but overall really nice music 3.4

Soul, alternative. Ni fu ni fa.

Interesting. Pretty nice

This was a pretty cool and unique of soul, R&B with a bit of rock and folk. It had a lot of different tempos. The j instrumentals were solid and June has a very nice voice. All in all it was pretty nice to hear something new and this good while still being modern. 7.0/10

Recording feels a bit awkward at times

This was an enjoyable surprise. It has an almost timeless quality due to all of the genres Valerie June plays in. Her vocal style grated on me a little bit, both too much and not enough for what she was trying to do with it. Fave Songs: Pushin' Against a Stone; Trials, Troubles, Tribulations; Workin' Woman Blues; Tennessee Time

I enjoyed this. Its not my usual stuff but this was a fun listen. Thanks!

Quite nice.

A nice listen.

Amy Winehouse does O Brother, Where Art Thou? It’s not doing much for me.

This is a confident, genre-hopping debut that shows Valerie June’s range and charm, but also struggles a bit with coherence. There’s no denying the talent here: the songwriting is strong, the voice is distinct (if not for everyone), and there’s a heartfelt musical curiosity in every track. Produced by Dan Auerbach (the Black Keys guy), the album has that retro, lo-fi 60s sound. But now, more than a decade on, it also dates the album a little. It’s the kind of nostalgic production that can slide into kitsch, and I found myself wondering on several occasions how these songs might’ve sounded with a more modern or timeless sound. Valerie June clearly has a deep love for blues, folk, soul, country, and gospel, and she pours it all into this album. The downside is that it sometimes feels more like a tour of her influences than a fully formed style of her own.

Pretty cool!

Fine 👍

Lovely slow and brooding folkey/bluesy singer with acoustic band on some track and other a retro soul feel. Production is really well handled - a light touch that really works. This is a good listen.

An unlikely pick, but a welcome one. Pulling from the old American folk traditions that predate the recording industry, Valerie June's Americana is soulful as it is true. Her appreciation for the classics gives this record a warm sound that runs deep in the beautiful history of American music. This is helped in part by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, whose production style carries over from his garage rock band to this folksy solo artist. The result is something that certainly carries a similar personality to the Black Keys' recordings, but is occasionally held back by choices that causes the songs here to sound to fuzzed out and sharp. It's especially apparent on You Can't Be Told, which is practically a Black Keys song with June's vocals. In my opinion, this detracts from the album as I much prefer the less rock-oriented sound in favor of a more traditional blues sound. Damn you, Auerbach! Not all bad of course. The last two tracks, Shotgun and On My Way, are perhaps June at her best. Simple, hauntingly beautiful songs. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Doesn't seem influential or noteworthy enough for inclusion, but a nice listen nontheless!

This has a remarkable throwback sound similar to the original Motown groups of the sixties. Raw, direct, simplistic

7 outta 10 HL: "Workin' Woman Blues", "Somebody to Love", "Shotgun", the title track August 18, 2025

Soul, alternative. Un poco largo y repetitivo.

Soul, alternative. Ni fu ni fa.

I'm conflicted on this one. The music was really good and I enjoy this genre, and Valerie is clearly a good singer, but I find her voice difficult to listen to, almost as if she's singing on a different genre than the music she is singing to. After the full album I was starting to get used to it, but I don't think I m going to want to seek this album out again or dove deeper into her work.

This was pretty good.

Gathered some moss

Jag är lite kluven över vad jag tycker om det här. Det är varken bra eller dålig. Får bli 2,5 och då avrundas det ju uppåt till en trea.

The singer’s voice is gorgeous in harmony and peaceful in the low range, but grating and tight when solo. The accompanying music is pretty but can’t rescue the album.

I was not expecting this, very pleasant listen

I really like the concept of this album more than the actual music. Exploring bluegrass through a modern lens with an incredible vocalist and a seasoned producer. It has all the makings of a great album. Unfortunately, it was kind of missing something for me. Maybe it's that the production felt a bit flat, or the music just needed a bit more texture or something. There's a lot of potential here and I think it would be worth relistening sometime to see if it click a bit more with time. Alternatively, Valerie June might just be a name to watch because her voice was really great and I think there are some amazing songs in her.

This is an eclectic one - it took me a few songs to kind of dial into her voice which is unique but it works well enough for her music. Cross of a lot of genres yet at the same time is cohesive. A few points where it sounds grating - not necessarily on her but maybe the mix (that guitar sound in the title track is a choice, and a terrible one. "give me the buzzing bee sound....") which makes it not the smoothest start-to-finish. Nitpicking to be sure and she has a great talent for bringing what sound like old songs (all but one an original, and that cover is really good "Trials, Troubles, Tribulations") into the present day. Personal rating notwithstanding, this would be a worthy addition to the book. 7/10 3 stars IMO: Belonged in the book? Yes.

Singer/songwriter is one of my least favorite genres. She has talent, for sure, but it's not my jam. Worth a listen though.

Chilled out, soulful, pleasant. Rating: 2.5 Playlist track: Wanna Be on Your Mind Date listened: 02/12/24

Not something for me, but I see the appeal. Personally found the singer's voice kind of grating and everything too samey. I'm probably not American enough for this.

Pushin' Against A Stone doesn't land with me, it's a little haunting, a little atmospheric, but really not anything that appeals to me. Her voice works within the art but is annoying and eventually grating, some of the influences are decent but it just doesn't go anywhere and doesn't stand out. 2/5.

Kinda nice

Not bad at all

ok, bit dull

Huge potential, weak delivery

Disappointed. Very dull.

There is something about this voice that cuts through me like the jagged glass of a smashed bottle tearing through blancmange. I think I could probably learn to appreciate the music, but that voice is intolerable.

Not my thing. I wasn’t a massive fan of the voice or the music. Sorry.

You can definitely hear the Black Keys in the production. It almost sounds like a spin off. It makes me want to hear some Sharon Jones. Is that good? Meh.

Very minimalist soul. I understand what the appeal is, but I had the constant feeling that the same songs and the same singer could have sounded much better with different arrangement and production.

This LP had an uphill battle already as singer-songwriter is one of my least favorite genres, but it was so vapid and poorly constructed that it actually made me a little angry. June has little to offer in the way of original songwriting, with most of these being timid covers of greats gone by. Much worse, her take on these classics is the softest, most quavering vocal I’ve heard in a while - it’s almost as if she’s afraid to raise her voice above a whisper lest someone know she’s singing. I wanted to attribute this to bad mixing, but even on the very few tracks that have a tempo above a crawl her vocals barely rise above the instrumentals. Just an uninspired, insipid LP overall that brings nothing new to the table.

It bored me terribly, it's not for me. Even the stronger tracks didn't make a difference that excited me, I think it's for more niche tastes.

Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no...... no. End of album update: fuck, no. 1/5.