Terri Hendrix’s Cry Till You Laugh is her best release since, well, her last one, because no Texas artist has consistently taken their game up another notch with each new musical offering like the spirited soul of San Marcos. Initially conceived as the jazz record she’d long dreamed of doing, Hendrix ultimately couldn’t be fenced in by the confines of a single genre. While there’s some of those promised jazz stylings here, in songs such as Ike Eichenberg’s “Take Me Places” and “You Belong in New Orleans,” which bounces with a Louis Prima “Jungle Book” vibe, there’s also the unique brand of folk, blues, humor and soul-on-the-sleeve intimacy Hendrix has been serving up throughout a career distinguished by her knack for giving listeners both something familiar and entirely fresh. So you’ll find that “pick yourself up, dust yourself off” Hendrix philosophy of dogged perseverance in “Hand Me Down Blues,” “Roll On” and “Come Tomorrow.” But the songs that truly stand out—and bear testament to her artistic work ethic and evolution—are “Einstein’s Brain” and “Berlin Wall,” which may be two of the most melodically complex and lyrically personal songs she’s ever penned. Joined, as always, by that legendary fella named Lloyd something or other, Hendrix also enlists some of Central Texas’ finest players (Glenn Fukunaga, bass; Riley Osbourn, keyboards; Richard Bowden, violin; Stanley Smith, clarinet; John Mills, sax; and percussionists Pat Manske and John Silva) to make every track sparkle with an energy and passion that may not only make you cry till you laugh, but also get your head boppin’ and toes tappin’ along to the rhythm of her life’s ups and downs.
