Mary Hatley ‘The Poison I Choose’ - A Debut Album of Love, Loss, and Resilience
- Sonic Sisters Team
- Sep 22
- 2 min read
Mary Hatley’s debut album The Poison I Choose is an arresting introduction to a voice that feels both timeless and urgently of the moment. Rooted in Memphis’ deep musical heritage yet unafraid to carve out new emotional terrain, Hatley crafts a body of work that is striking in its honesty, vulnerability, and strength. Produced by Matt Qualls at Easley McCain, the record feels alive—raw where it needs to be, polished where it benefits the storytelling, and always anchored by Hatley’s resonant vocals.
The album unfolds like a diary of survival, healing, and reclamation. Opening with As Long As You’re Mine, Hatley channels the giddy ache of letting love in after years of guarded solitude. The track is lush but restrained, its warmth setting the stage for a record defined by intimate confessions and sweeping emotional arcs. In contrast, Be My Lover smolders with risk and desire, the instrumentation mirroring the tension between fear and surrender. Hatley’s voice carries a bluesy edge here, evoking both the hesitancy and exhilaration of passion.
Her lyrical candor shines brightest on songs like Can’t Forget You Now and Cross You Twice. The former navigates the fragile balance between vulnerability and self-preservation, while the latter broadens its scope to wrestle with religious trauma and political disillusionment. It’s here that Hatley’s artistry truly expands beyond autobiography, speaking to broader human struggles with a poetic, clear-eyed voice.
Perhaps the album’s most poignant moments arrive with Dog Days and Miss You Dear, two meditations on grief and fractured family ties. Both tracks embody Hatley’s gift for transforming pain into resilience. Dog Days, in particular, emerges as a tribute to endurance, a reminder that even in the weight of trauma, light can be found. This theme of survival is echoed in Ricochet, an anthem of defiance that pulses with energy, signaling Hatley’s refusal to be defined by the systems and relationships that sought to confine her.
The title track, The Poison I Choose, stands as the record’s centerpiece. It is at once devastating and empowering—a recognition of toxic love and the difficult choices we make within it. Hatley does not flinch from acknowledging complicity, and in doing so, she opens a space of catharsis for listeners who have faced similar patterns.
Closing with Wine, Flowers, & Blood, Hatley circles back to themes of trauma, faith, and transformation. The song’s cathartic arc gives the album a sense of finality while hinting at the healing yet to come. It is both elegiac and forward-looking, encapsulating the paradox of her debut: grief and renewal intertwined.
Hatley’s The Poison I Choose is more than a debut—it is a statement of intent. Her fusion of blues, rock, country, and pop is not a stylistic experiment but a natural extension of her lived experience in Memphis, a city where genres blur and emotions run deep. Comparisons to artists like Stevie Nicks or Elle King are warranted, but Hatley’s perspective remains uniquely her own. This is an album that demands to be felt as much as heard, offering solace, courage, and connection to those who listen with open hearts.