Laura Cantrell
's debut album,
Not the Tremblin' Kind
, is a mix of originals and covers by little known yet superb songwriters like
George Usher
,
Joe Flood
Amy Allison
, and
the Volebeats
'
Bob McCreedy
-- resulting in an evocative blend of neo-traditionalist
country
. As a singer,
Cantrell
doesn't have the pipes of a someone like
Lucinda Williams
, but, like
Merle Haggard
, her clear and simple way with a tale or sentiment leaves the listener hanging on every word.
's own
"Queen of the Coast"
tells the story of a female
singer from a bygone era who stands toward the back of a stage while her man basks in the spotlight. (Think
Bonnie Owens
: The mandolin line even slyly echoes one-time husband
Haggard
's signature
"I Am a Lonesome Fugitive."
) The era the song nods to is also expressive of
's sound, which is of clearly different stock than the high drama of
alt-country
young lion
Neko Case
or the good-natured
folkyness
of predecessor
Nanci Griffith
. Rather,
's music echoes a truck-stop jukebox circa the 1950s or '60s and such woman pioneers as
Kitty Wells
. Also,
's work as a DJ at famed free-form station
WFMU
allowed her to cull the finest tracks that crossed her turntable, and her ear for the right tunes to cover is clearly evident. On her heart-piercing take on
"Two Seconds,"
her plaintive voice is used to excellent effect, driving home the primary sentiment, "Two seconds of your love is all I need of you/two seconds of your time, that's enough to say we're through/two beats of your heart is enough to know we'll never part." Another great cover is
's
"Whiskey Makes You Sweeter,"
which
delivers with the poise of a woman who won't make the same mistake twice -- rather than the sloppy, temporary regret the song might suggest. Solid production by
World Famous Blue Jays
member
Jay Sherman-Godfrey
and strong musicianship make this first-class, enduring
Americana
-- with one foot in the past and an eye towards the future. ~ Erik Hage