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"Who is the Sad Witch?"

Giving My Bones to the Western LandsI recently bought the new album "Sad Witch Cult" by Lonesome Wyatt and the Holy Spooks. It's a great album in every possible way. However, I was surprised by the absence of the artists doom and gloom vocals. The vocal responsibilities has been handed over to the Sad Witch. On his Bandcamp page Lonesome Wyatt wrote: "Now, the cult has taken his voice. His sorrowful words and mournful melodies, still written by his trembling hand, must be sung through the lips of their chosen vessel—the eerie, otherworldly Sad Witch. Her voice echoes from the beyond, carrying his laments like funeral hymns on the wind." This brings us to the inevitable question. Who is the Sad Witch? Let's narrow it down. First, the Sad Witch obviously knows her stuff. The vocal performance is too professional and confident to be a first attempt. Second, the female vocals fit the music perfectly. Lonesome Wyatt's modus operandi isn't compatible with first writing the music and lyrics, and then begin to think of someone suitable to sing on the album. He must have had someone particular in mind. Third, I think it's safe to assume that it's the Sad Witch herself on the album cover. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, she wears a mask to cover her face. There's nothing to be ashamed over here. Lonesome Wyatt is not a collaborator by habit or nature. Nevertheless, Lonesome Wyatt has made two collaboration records with Michigan artist Rachel Brooke, "A Bitter Harvest" (2009) and "Bad Omen" (2015). She is an artist in her own right with four studio albums (of which i have three). They are all of high quality. What are the evidence for and against Rachel Brooke? The hydrogen peroxide hair colour match as well as the vocal style. On the other hand, Rachel Brooke has got an unmistakable red tattoo on her right upper arm. The woman on the album cover doesn't have any visible tattoos. However, making a tattoo go away can be fixed in any image program. A qualified guess is that Rachel Brooke is the Sad Witch.       


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