Rett Madison’s new album, One for Jackie, is a tribute to her mom, who passed by suicide in 2019. “My mom struggled with depression, PTSD, and alcoholism all my life, but her death was shocking and unexpected,” Madison says. “Writing this album, I was moving through grief; it was part of my healing process.” Raised in West Virginia, Madison moved to Los Angeles to pursue songwriting, landing gigs singing background vocals for artists like Lorde and Kate Nash before releasing her coolly defiant debut, Pin-Up Daddy—an Americana record dealing with queerness, religious trauma, and shame. That album led to her signing with War Buddha, a Nashville-based joint venture with Warner Records, as their debut artist. Since then, she’s opened for Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, and Elle King, bringing her distinctive take on Americana to a widening fanbase.

One for Jackie distills the weeks and months following her mother’s death, drawing from the Appalachian folk traditions Rett grew up around, the ‘70s output of Bob Dylan and Dusty Springfield, and the music her mother loved. “Her taste shaped me as a musician, and while this album honors my grief, it’s also a memorial to my mom,” she says. Recorded at Sonic Ranch with Grammy Award-winning producer Tyler Chester, the album’s raw emotion is palpable from the opening piano ballad “Jacqueline,” where Madison sings: “I’m just pissed off and bitter I couldn’t save my mother / I’m grappling with what I’ve got left.” Across the album, Madison’s already exceptional guitar and piano playing are joined by synths, strings, organ, mournful slide guitar, and more, creating a rich, cinematic soundscape.

After learning through rehab records that her mother had been sexually abused as a child, Madison wrote two murder ballads in response: “One for Jackie, One for Crystal” and “St. Luke’s.” Throughout the record, she gives listeners a multifaceted look at the irreducible process of grieving immense loss—balancing heartbreak, guilt, and anger with openhearted moments of love. In the months following Jackie’s death, Madison met her partner, and songs like the Fleetwood Mac–esque “Ballet” glow with the beauty of young love. The album’s closer imagines Jackie speaking directly to her daughter, who she called “Kiki,” with the line: “Sweetie, you were my life and my reason / I lived 84 more seasons.” One for Jackie gives listeners the feeling of knowing Madison’s mom, not as an idealized memory, but as a complex and fully human presence—brought to life through Madison’s stunning voice and fearless storytelling.