S.G. Goodman returns from the bottomlands of Western Kentucky with Planting By The Signs, her third and most immersive record to date, released yesterday via her very own Slough Water Records. Still rooted in her singular blend of rugged Americana and indie rock grit, Goodman widens the lens – turning personal grief and rural ritual into something universal, timely, and deeply grounded.
Born of loss – both her beloved dog Howard and mentor Harmon passed in 2023 – the album feels like a return home in more ways than one. Goodman retreated from a grueling tour schedule and slipped back into the natural rhythms of Kentucky life. The title isn’t just poetic: planting by the signs is a real practice based on the moon’s cycles, something Goodman grew up around. But here, it also becomes metaphor – about slowing down, tuning in, and remembering we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.
The songs, eleven in all – strike a balance between raw vulnerability and fuzzed-out catharsis. Goodman’s voice remains her calling card: deep, measured, and unmistakably Southern, a drawl that carries both ache and authority. Highlights like “If You Were Someone I Loved” and “Keeper of the Time” feel torn from the soil, while “Nature’s Child” (written by Tyler Ladd) and “Satellite” (co-written with Rowan) bring a gentle cosmic edge.
Produced by Goodman, Drew Vandenberg, and Matthew Rowan at The Nutt House in Sheffield, Alabama, the album features a stacked roster: pedal steel from Eddy Dunlap, baritone guitar from Zak Riles, haunting guest vocals from Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and an understated rhythm section led by Matt Pence and Craig Burletic. Together, they give Goodman’s songs a lived-in, analog warmth – part Appalachian front porch, part post-rock dreamscape.
In the end, Planting By The Signs isn’t just about memory or mourning – it’s about continuity. About listening closely. About putting your hands in the dirt and knowing when to begin again.
– @meanwhile_in_music
