How did a pandemic and political strife inspire a new album of love songs?

Senora May figured the world could use a love song or two. Politics, the pandemic, isolation, division – it all hit a cumulative boiling point for the Eastern Kentucky songstress. Her remedy? A new album called “All of My Love” that would be released while all of those irritants were in full rage – on Valentine’s Day, no less.

“I was sick of all the hate I saw people spewing, honestly,” May said. “Across my social media feeds, on the news, particularly in the political arena, I mean, everyone was mad and wishing hurt on someone else, it seemed like. There were the riots over racial injustices and police brutality, the pandemic and everyone cooped up and blaming everybody else - a lot of pent up aggression and misdirected stress, a lot of folks suffering and dying and still others, with power to change it, mocking the situation and those people suffering. Everything just made me sick.

“I don’t know, I guess the culmination of so much weight on my heart made me want to share love songs. I thought, ‘this is what I need in order to feel good again.’”

To start her project, May enlisted Ohio-born song stylist Jessica Lea Mayfield, whose narrative and musical sense of composition is often as broadly stylistic as what May exhibits in her music. The resulting sense of ambiance, space and musical construction that distinguishes many of the songs on “All of My Love” reflect the collaborative spirit between May and Mayfield.

“I knew I could gain a more ethereal quality and electric droniness when I asked Jessica Lea Mayfield to produce the album. I cannot give her enough credit for the way the record turned out in that way. It has room, it lets each song’s vibe breath. She just has such a docile and graceful presence. It helped that most of the studio musicians were female, too, I think, because we gave each other space. We respected and listened to one another. We were collectively able to create this smoothness and airiness to the songs. We were just vibing on it more than trying to play impressive parts that distinguished anyone from the whole.”

Typical of the sound and style adopted for “All of My Love” is “No Sweeter Thing,” a summery reflection that rolls with echoes of the blues and glides with a jazzy stride punctuated by horns.

“’No Sweeter Thing” is kind of like my ode to Nina Simone and the love I have for New Orleans big brass bands. I have a great admiration for Nina. She’s got so much power and grace. You can really see it in the way she writes love songs. ‘Do I Move You,’ ‘Real Real’ and ‘I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl’ - those really exhibit empowerment through female sexuality. Her songs are confident and leisurely executed, with a smoothness you could usually only find in songs written by and for men during that time.”

A nod to Nina Simone from an Estill County songwriter? Absolutely. The multi-stylistic artist was just one of many diverse inspirations that May drew upon as her own musical voice developed.

“I am one of six kids, so most of the music I heard growing up was on the radio - ’90s country, classic rock, gospel, stuff like that. Mom used to have Christmas open houses for her stained glass business and she often had live music at those - classical guitar and fiddlin.’ Those events are some of my most treasured memories of when my parents were still together.

“Mom and dad met down the road at a bluegrass festival,” May said. “That was a big thing for my town growing up. I was around bluegrass and gospel a lot, via this show my nana always had on WLJC, which stood for ‘Wonderful Lord Jesus Christ.’ It broadcasted out of Beattyville. And then I did sing in the Catholic Church. I enjoyed that a lot, since everyone sang so droney in a collective voice.

‘But really, the first cassette tape that was only mine was ‘Houses of the Holy’ (by) Led Zeppelin. I remember rewinding and playing ‘Dyer Maker’ over and over. Then my first CD was a gift from my Aunt Donna - Norah Jones’ ‘Come Away With Me.’ After that, in between everything else, were my mom’s CDs - No Doubt, Edie Brickell, Van Morrison, Tracy Chapman, Natalie Merchant, R.E.M. My sister listened to Mariah Carey nonstop when we were real little, so I do appreciate some melisma and the whistle register.”

So what happens now? With concerts off the books due to COVID-19 (May was to have been a featured performer at last year’s aborted Railbird festival) and all the political/pandemic discourse still at a fever pitch, how does she plan to spread all of the love from “All of My Love”?

“I would love to tour again. It’s been kind of hard, off and on, for me. I miss connecting with people and hearing their stories. I love learning of the meaning my songs have for different people from all over. I will definitely tour on some of these love songs because I think people need that. If they’re coming to a show and paying, they should at least hear one or two love songs.”