‘Havin’ A Talk’ lands like a discovery and a reminder at the same time. Theo Lawrence and Melissa Carper’s long-anticipated duets album, out now via Warner Records, evokes the lush dreaminess of 1950s and 60s Nashville Sound with a wit and warmth that feels entirely their own. 12 songs recorded at Nashville’s Bomb Shelter with producer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Langhorne Slim, Margo Price) alongside a murderer’s row of seasoned session veterans including Chris Scruggs, Billy Contreras, and Matty Meyer. The result is strikingly warm, sometimes hilarious, and deeply alive.
The partnership that produced this album began in 2024 with “All Fifty States,” and the singles that followed, “Good Luck To Ya,” “You’re Forgiven, My Love,” “The Way I Remember You,” and “Dat Ain’t Right,” built anticipation for exactly the kind of record ‘Havin’ A Talk’ turns out to be. Lawrence and Carper share a quick-witted repartee and a lighthearted approach to traditional songcraft that brings to mind Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, and Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty at their cheekiest. That’s elite company, and this album earns the comparison.
What makes ‘Havin’ A Talk’ work as well as it does is the genuine contrast between its two voices. Lawrence and Carper come from wildly divergent backstories, 2 very different paths now brought together by a shared devotion to classic American roots music. That tension, playful and respectful in equal measure, gives the record its energy and keeps all 12 tracks feeling spontaneous rather than constructed.
Tuneful, timeless, and impossible not to smile through, ‘Havin’ A Talk’ is the kind of album that reminds you what this music was always capable of. Lawrence and Carper have made something genuinely special here.
‘Havin’ A Talk’ Tracklist:
“Good Luck to Ya”
“The Last to Know”
“All Fifty States”
“Dat Ain’t Right”
“Supermarket Flowers”
“The Way I Remember You”
“Thank You, But No Thank You”
“You’re Forgiven My Love”
“Second Look”
“Jealous Eyes”
“Joyous Time”
“What Are You Doing After This?”