When the whirlwind takes over it blows with unbelievable force, leaving an artist caught up in forces beyond their control. Two years of constant touring had that effect on S.G. Goodman. Getting back to rural western Kentucky she got caught up in the cycles of nature. Planting by the Signs illustrates her devotion to those ritual forces of nature that can be so easily ignored in the rushing ravages of the modern world. According to the signs of the moon, folks used to do everything from planting a garden to weaning a baby or getting a haircut. That reverence for nature cuts to the heart of these recordings.
The sparse background of ‘Satellite’ is almost accusatory, as Goodman lays out the essential problem against strident drums and a full-throated bass, “Say it’s good, say it’s right, wishing on a satellite.” Clearly the world has changed and not necessarily for the better, “Look what it’s done to you.” The slash of guitar illustrates how out of whack our priorities have become. Instead of being connected to people we are connected to an illusion of pictures on a screen.
Rooted in concepts like the zodiac and controlled by the rhythms of the seasons, ‘Fire Sign’ answers her own questions. Amidst a first verse anchored by drums and bass, Goodman reveals much about her own character, “Some tried to make me out a liar/ But I’m a dreamer with no answers/ Oh, who’s been living like the sun don’t shine/ On the same dog’s ass every day.” Guitar and piano come in as she makes it clear that despite people telling her what she should be doing, she is the only person who can put her fire out.
Caught up in the unbelievable cruelty of children, ‘Snapping Turtle’ leads with a simple guitar lick as she begins to unwrap a memory of brutality and the therapy it led to years later. Unfolding a story of kids beating a snapping turtle with a stick, she asks for a chance to take a lick, though she makes it clear, “When I raised my hand I brought down the wrath of God himself/ Beat those kids til they were crying out for help.” Stuck in her small-town memories she tries to learn from her past and how it has shaped the person she has become.
Whether equating the four seasons to the four suits of card on ‘Solitaire’, or dueting with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy on the chorus of ‘Nature’s Child’, S.G. Goodman is in complete control on Planting by the Seasons. Taking a break, she found the natural rhythms that have guided people for centuries. The album is a master class in learning what matters most.