The Mastersons are on tour with Steve Earle and will be in Chattanooga on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at Walker Theatre.
Review for the Mastersons:
The Mastersons, the husband-and-wife duo of Chris Masterson and string player Eleanor Whitmore, are on tour for their first album on Red House/Compass Records Group album, Transient Lullaby. They’ll be performing both as the support act for Steve Earle and as members of his band, The Dukes. They’re stellar players — guitarist Masterson has worked with Son Volt and Jack Ingram; Whitmore composed the album’s lush, countrypolitan string arrangements and has worked with Regina Spektor and Angus and Julia Stone.
Transient Lullaby is their third album — darker, wistful and imbued with the insights brought by an itinerant lifestyle. “Happy When I'm Movin'" reflects their constant need for forward momentum, both physically and emotionally, and the title track paints the pair as "pilgrims of the interstate" on an endless voyage. Though it’s a deeply personal album, it’s not without its political moments. “Don’t Tell Me To Smile” is Whitmore’s response to an audience member’s condescending remark to “smile” — something every woman has experienced. Whitmore’s talking about life on the stage, but it’s a universal experience she shares, "told with a bit of Liz Phair sass in a rich, roots-rock package and a lush hook,” wrote the Bluegrass Situation, who chose it as their "Song of the Week."