H.C. McEntire
H.C. McEntire

Mount Moriah's H.C. McEntire releasing solo debut, touring w/ Justin Townes Earle

H.C. McEntire

Last year, Mount Moriah released their very solid third album How to Dance, and in 2018, singer Heather McEntire (also previously of Bellafea) will release her solo debut as H.C. McEntire. It’s called Lionheart, and it comes out on January 26 via Merge. It features a ton of collaborators, including Angel Olsen, William Tyler, Mary Lattimore, Tift Merritt, Phil Cook and still more. She also lists “special guidance” from Kathleen Hanna in the credits. The lead single is country-tinged piano ballad “A Lamb, A Dove.” Listen to that and see the artwork, tracklist, and full album credits below. Here’s a little background info on the album, via UPROXX:

With the help of Hanna, McEntire parsed through this pile and began to consider a solo record in earnest. On her own for the first time, she turned to her community to flesh out these deeply personal songs, many of which were written to encompass her experience growing up as a queer woman in the south, who met with disappointment when she came out to her Southern Baptist family, all while legal battles about the lawfulness of her sexuality were being fought in her home state of North Carolina.
Eventually able to reconcile her faith with her sexuality, LIONHEART is shot through with songs that grapple with that transition, unfolding in southern rock riffs, ominous, Biblical lyrics, and sweet country longing. It’s a brave record, yes, but it’s also the living testament of a queer woman who refuses to let the shining tradition of country music belong solely to the bros.

H.C. McEntire will also be touring around the album’s release, opening for Justin Townes Earle. That tour includes two shows at NYC’s City Winery: January 29 and 30. Tickets for both are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

Lionheart Tracklist
1. A Lamb, A Dove
2. Baby’s Got the Blues
3. Yellow Roses
4. Wild Dogs
5. Quartz in the Valley
6. When You Come for Me
7. Red Silo
8. One Great Thunder
9. Dress in the Dark

Lionheart Album Credits
Produced by H.C. McEntire and Nicholas Petersen, with special guidance from Kathleen Hanna.

Mastered by Carl Saff.

All songs and lyrics written by H.C. McEntire.

H.C. McEntire: vocals on all tracks; electric guitar 6
Phil Cook: acoustic guitar 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; electric guitar 1, 5, 6, 9; backing vocals 5, 6, 9
Jeff Crawford: piano 8
Daniel Faust: drums and percussion 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9
Kaitlin Grady: cello 4, 8
Ryan Gustafson: electric guitar 7; backing vocals 1, 2, 3, 5, 7
Daniel Hart: violin 3, 4
Mary Lattimore: harp 1, 4
Allyn Love: pedal steel 1, 3, 5, 6, 9
Tift Merritt: backing vocals 1, 5, 6
Luke Norton: electric guitar 2, 3, 4, 5, 9
Angel Olsen: backing vocals 4, 8
Amy Ray: backing vocals 7
Casey Toll: bass 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9
William Tyler: electric guitar 2, 5, 6, 9
James Wallace: piano 1, 5, 6; Wurlitzer 1, 2, 9; organ 3, 7

H.C. McEntire Lionheart

H.C. McEntire — 2018 Tour Dates
Thu Jan 25, 2018 Atlanta, GA City Winery*
Fri Jan 26, 2018 Nashville, TN City Winery*
Sat Jan 27, 2018 Whitesburg, KY Appalshop Theater*
Sun Jan 28, 2018 Annapolis, MD Ram’s Head Onstage*
Mon Jan 29, 2018 New York, NY City Winery*
Tue Jan 30, 2018 New York, NY City Winery*
Wed Jan 31, 2018 Boston , MA City Winery*
Fri Feb 02, 2018 Chicago, IL City Winery*
Sat Feb 03, 2018 Chicago, IL City Winery*
Thu Feb 08, 2018 Asheville, NC The Mothlight
Fri Feb 09, 2018 Durham, NC The Pinhook

* – w/ Justin Townes Earle