Cutting voices and sharp tunes: Courtney Barnett and Waxahatchee

Waxahatchee (left) joins Barnett for a Gilliam Welch cover

Taking with the stage on the same night, it’s hard not to compare the songs of Waxahatchee and Courtney Barnet. They hail from different corners of the Earth, but both count among the most incisive songwriters anywhere. It's how the two present their music that varies wildly.

My old friend Chris Clancy had a spare ticket and for the price of a few concert beers, these two young singer-songwriters held court at the Marathon Music Works. Katie Crutchfield hails from Birmingham, Ala., and took her recording name from Waxahatchee Creek, not the Texas town between Dallas and Waco.

She opened with a number from Lucinda Williams I recognized from World Without Tears, the pained love song Fruits of my Labor. The rest was all originals and Crutchfield’s voice is a marvel.

I am tempted to compare her to other female songwriters (including Neko Case and her tourmate Barnett) but just enjoyed her smoky, incisive tones. A voice like that elevates songs that are already intricate and catchy.

With just her acoustic guitar and occasional accompaniment from a second guitarist, Waxahatchee receive the quiet room her songs needed to breathe. Even though much of it was soft and acoustic, her voice sliced through the cavernous music hall. The full-band arrangements from her 2017 triumph Out in the Storm became intimate, like she was strumming on the front porch.

The audience was unexpectedly well-behaved, largely avoiding the usual hoots and hollers plus endless series of phone cameras blocking the view. In fact, the show was remarkably light on tech buffoons – even I was a bit sheepish about taking the few blurry shots surrounding this post.

Barnett was electric. With her tangle of hair, white T-shirt and jeans, Courtney Barnett could be unassuming but commands attention nonetheless. Her lack of pretention gave her ability to own an audience with just her songs. For a short songbook, it’s an intimidating one, with songs titles that immediately spur a deep dive into her records.

Barnett played for nearly two hours. While she was light on banter, the songs were indisputably strong. She veered from balladry to noise punk numbers with total ease. No lover of the English language can skip those song titles - Crippling Self Doubt and a General Lack of Confidence, Avant Gardener, Elevator Operator and History Eraser to name a few.

In the encore Waxahatchee reemerged to join Barnett for a cover of Gillian Welch’s Everything is Free before closing with Anonymous Club and Pedestrian at Best.

Across three-plus hours, these two women put on a clinic sure to elevate the craft of any would-be songwriter.