It’s not often that new music—or a performance—makes me sit up and listen. Really listen. Alicia Witt did that for me last night at The Cutting Room in New York City.
I didn’t know much about Witt when I walked into the room. I knew her as an actor, of course, but I wasn’t familiar with her music. I walked out wanting to know everything.
Witt was at The Cutting Room to perform songs from her new album, Between Heaven and Earth, out now via Thirty Tigers. Produced by Joe Henry, the album was inspired by her four-decade friendship and creative relationship with filmmaker David Lynch, who first cast Witt in Dune when she was just seven years old. The two would later work together again on Twin Peaks and Twin Peaks: The Return.
That history gives the album its emotional foundation, but this is not simply a tribute record. It feels more like a meditation on everything that can remain with us after a deeply meaningful relationship—love, grief, gratitude, intuition, creativity and the ways another person can quietly change the course of your life.
Onstage, Witt brought all of that to life. Her gorgeous voice carried the evening. There’s a warmth and purity to her singing that at times reminded me of Karen Carpenter—not because Witt sounds like an imitation of anyone, but because there’s a similar intimacy to her delivery. She doesn’t need to push a song toward you. She draws you into it.
Her songwriting occasionally brought Carly Simon to mind as well. In fact, there were moments when I could almost hear Simon singing one of Witt’s songs in my head—something I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced while hearing another artist perform. There’s an intelligence and emotional specificity to Witt’s writing that makes the comparison feel natural, while her songs remain unmistakably her own.
And then there’s her storytelling. Throughout the evening, Witt shared memories and context around the songs, revealing a relationship with Lynch that was clearly profound and deeply formative. She could be wistful one moment and funny the next, allowing the evening to celebrate what that relationship gave her rather than dwelling solely on its loss.
That same balance runs through the music. The songs seemed to roll into one another effortlessly—melancholy and celebratory, introspective and occasionally playful. Witt is also a masterful pianist, and backed by a terrific band at The Cutting Room, the music had room to breathe while still feeling intimate.
One of the evening’s most affecting songs for me was “Thank You,” a beautiful expression of gratitude for a relationship and all that remains after it has changed or ended. It captured much of what made the performance so moving: sadness was present, but gratitude was stronger.
And then there was “More,” undoubtedly my biggest earworm of the night. With its gorgeous sentiment about self-love, fulfillment and recognizing that what we’re searching for may not be something another person can give us, it stayed with me long after the show ended.
That ability to make a song linger may be Witt’s greatest strength.
Between Heaven and Earth was recorded live in New York City with a full band and minimal overdubs, an approach inspired in part by Lynch’s belief in intuition and trusting the creative process. Hearing these songs performed live made that philosophy particularly apparent. Nothing about the evening felt overly polished or calculated. It felt present.
For audiences who know Witt primarily from her acting career—which includes Longlegs, Twin Peaks, Nashville, The Walking Dead, Mr. Holland’s Opus and The Sopranos—her music may come as a revelation. But it isn’t a side project. Witt has spent the last decade developing her career as a singer-songwriter and pianist, releasing multiple albums, touring internationally and performing at venues including Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.
I arrived at The Cutting Room without any expectations. I left with “More” running through my head, a new album I wanted to spend time with, and that rarest of feelings: the excitement of discovering an artist whose work makes you want to hear what else she has to say. And that, perhaps, is the best thing a live performance can do.
Catch her on tour if you can. Find dates and more at https://www.aliciawittmusic.com/
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