In an era where polished pop anthems dominate the charts and authenticity is often carefully curated, Laura Sawosko’s Not What I Do feels refreshingly unfiltered. Her sixth studio album, releasing April 18, is a collection of Americana-tinged confessionals that balance self-reflection, humor, and heartache. The result? A record that lands somewhere between Brandi Carlile’s grit, Kacey Musgraves’ wit, and Lori McKenna’s quiet devastation.
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Sawosko, a veteran of Nashville’s songwriting circles, has built a career on lyrical candor, and Not What I Do is no exception. With 12 original tracks, the album reads like a journal cracked open—honest, at times painfully so, but never self-indulgent. There’s an ease to her storytelling, a casual brilliance reminiscent of Phoebe Bridgers’ best writing, where a single line can floor you with its emotional weight.
The album opens with “You Just Being You,” a breezy meditation on self-acceptance that could double as the soundtrack to a heartfelt indie film montage. The levity doesn’t last long—”Rhinestones for Pearls” follows, an aching exploration of lost dreams and growing older, where Sawosko swaps out youthful illusions for wisdom hard-earned.
She’s at her best when she leans into the small, hyper-specific details that turn a good song into a great one. “Biscuits and Gravy” isn’t about breakfast—it’s about comfort, nostalgia, and the way home doesn’t always look the way you remember it. “More Than Just a Burger” does the same, transforming a childhood memory into a metaphor for family and sacrifice, proving that sometimes the most profound moments happen in the most mundane settings.
Of course, Not What I Do isn’t just a meditation on nostalgia and heartbreak. Sawosko has always been an artist who uses her platform for something larger. Her commitment to LGBTQ advocacy and mental health awareness informs the album. You can hear the subtle influence on songs such as “Take My Hand,” a stirring song about grace in times of weakness. It’s the kind of song that wouldn’t be out of place in a Taylor Swift Folklore-era setlist—gentle, urgent, and undeniably moving.
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The album’s title track, “Not What I Do,” is its thematic anchor. A candid reckoning with identity and expectation, the song peels back the layers of who Sawosko is and who the world expects her to be. It’s reminiscent of Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” in its stark vulnerability, offering no easy answers, only raw emotion.
By the time the record closes with “Not Your Reason,” a song about setting boundaries and walking away, it’s clear that Not What I Do isn’t just a collection of personal reflections—it’s a quiet act of rebellion. In a culture that demands perfection, Sawosko leans into the messiness of being human. She embraces the imperfect, the uncertain, the unresolved. And in doing so, she gives us something rare: an album that feels as real as the life it comes from.
Chadwick Easton