The title, Tiny Victories, is something of a mantra for me. Sometimes that’s all we can have, so we need to count them, feel their full weight. In the liner notes I find a story that puts a true-life wrapping on this album:

“Health issues during summer 2024 also pushed Caskey to complete the album. She half-jokingly told family that if she died, to please pay producer Ed Tree to finish up all the song mixes on his hard drive and at least put them up on internet…it’s fitting that the self-portrait on the cover is titled “Finishing What I Started.”

I’m smitten with the vintage sound – the clawhammer-style banjo, the production, Donna Lynn’s bittersweet voice – in juxtaposition with the stories of today. ‘The Comments Section Is Closed’ is a perfect example of what I mean.

‘Last Resorts’ opens the album with a baritone banjo, a summery tone reminiscent of Mungo Jerry hits, and a list of contemporary issues: reality TV, paparazzi, “botox and bleached-white teeth” – we know we’re taking a vacation and it feels really easy to do. Suddenly I want to make a key-lime pie with a saltine cracker crust. Producer Ed Tree created a scene which implies a beach, some rustic chairs, and a cooler full of whatever you like.

‘What If Even If I Will’ is probably my favorite track here. It feels mysterious like a circle of stones you come across in the woods. Do you stay? What if you’re found here? There’s a promise inherent in this song’s almost nonsensical refrain that’s clarified in the verses: “What if we lose it all / even if we lose it all / I will be with you, I will be with you…” Sitar and minor chords? add to the magic. I find myself looking for this stone circle often throughout the week.

‘Buttercream Roses’ again makes use of the baritone banjo, telling a story that women have known for generations: “swallow me down like buttercream roses / even if it’s too sweet” serving up traditional birthday cake while slipping unfortunate truths between the slices beginning with the age of 5. “I’ve already learned to keep myself a secret…” Internal near-rhymes like “paper plates with slices of cake” are like a sing-song version of the patchwork blanket my best friends made me when I was 11.

“As Is” reinforces the subtext of being a chameleon, trying to stay safe, from the perspective of someone who sees your truth: “I love you my friend / I love you as is.” Permission is given to relax, to let yourself be. Existing is a tiny victory, Donna Lynn says.

“Win the Day” is a change in tone (chords?) It begins with opening the curtains, letting in sun, accompanied by accordion? Here’s where you find the title phrase – a tiny victory no-one else can see – along with a reminder to hydrate. No, really. Go get some water.

“Heal the Rot” tells the story of a young Appalachian learning Confederate history, feeling the normalcy of their upbringing erode as racism manifests itself, and needing to mend internal disparity. I can relate to this, and have been wrestling with my own version of the story. It’s not only a personal story, but a nation’s story, and Donna Lynn Caskey has  a prescription:

“Pull the monuments out like rotten teeth / the roots go deep, deep, deep/ No more deny this deadly disease / Long overdue for treatment / gotta do what it takes to heal it“

This is the dark volta of the album. “Song of Creation” is the upswing, carrying through the collective healing to a message of hope: “Peace is attainable.”

“Rebirth Day” is a beautiful a cappella fin to the album, a prayer, a carefully-packaged plate for the ride home. This piece spans generations with a bit of time-travel implied:

But in my mind I travel back in time
You can come with me
Back before we were conceived

Tell them: we come from the future
To reassure you
We have more than what we need

I bless every generation forward and back
Together we have everything we ever think we lack
Amen

You can find Tiny Victories by Donna Lynn Caskey on her website.