‘Luck of the Draw’: the album that transformed Madi Diaz
While it may not have been much of a fashionable genre to follow around 30 years ago, country and roots music has spent the last decade or so making something of a comeback, and not necessarily in the ways you might expect.
Just before the turn of the millennium, country was heading in a dire direction, with a large amount of the genre becoming focused on pushing traditional American values rather than being a true reflection of society and its issues. There were plenty of artists becoming successful through releasing a style that had a patriotic edge, flying the flag of red, white and blue, which ended up being far more divisive in its message as opposed to using it to unite people and trample over institutions built upon hateful values.
The world may be seeing a rise in fascism, conservative ideals and general bigotry, but roots-influenced music has suddenly become more of a diversified genre, with seemingly more women and people of colour achieving success in the field than ever before. Not only that, but they’re using their platforms to speak about the issues that face them in modern society, and aren’t simply releasing songs about upholding white Christian moral ideals, celebrating the patriarchy and chugging a caseload of beers while moaning about your wife.
While this brand of country hasn’t been eradicated from existence, and will be hard to fully expunge due to its popularity, a vast portion of mainstream country is moving back to the days when it stood for something of value, where artists like Bonnie Raitt released powerful statements through the medium of music.
Staunchly anti-war, environmentally conscious and progressive in her political beliefs, Raitt was a trailblazer whose influence is being picked up by modern country, roots and folk artists, and a prime example of someone who is operating in the same lane as she used to is American singer-songwriter Madi Diaz. Mixing these traditional styles while not being afraid to incorporate modern elements, large amounts of her work takes inspiration from people like Raitt, and in an interview with WFUV in 2024, she revealed that her 1991 album, Luck of the Draw, is one of the albums that she deems to be ‘essential listening’, and has been hugely impactful on her as an artist.
Speaking to the radio station, she called Luck of the Draw “raw and feminine” and “fed up and open hearted”, before going on to praise Raitt for how she conveys so much in each song. “This record is a giver. It’s soulfully commanding. It’s sensual and each song is so well written, with such visceral storytelling, that combined with Bonnie Raitt’s voice, is just transportive. It’s like you’re sitting next to her and walking alongside her in every scene drawn from life.”
While much of this can be applied to Diaz’s work, with her raw and honest depictions of femininity, love and utter despondency being akin to those that Raitt’s work offers, it’s clear that this is one of the most important collections of roots-inspired songwriting to have emerged from a musical landscape in the 1990s that was largely sung from the opposite perspective.
