Puss N Boots
began performing in N.Y.C. nightclubs in 2008 but didn't deliver their debut,
No Fools, No Fun
, until the summer of 2014 -- a pretty good indication that this group was intended as something of a lark. All three musicians --
Sasha Dobson
,
Catherine Popper
, and
Norah Jones
-- keep themselves busy with solo day jobs that range from in-demand supporting musicians to full-time superstars, but
affords the trio an opportunity to indulge in their shared love of country and other pieces of ramshackle Americana.
Jones
has another part-time country band, but where she's the frontwoman for
the Little Willies
is decidedly a collaborative affair, finding
Dobson
Popper
harmonizing and trading leads, often within the course of a song. The group follows no straight path and neither does
. It's half covers, half originals, part live and part studio, the different parts sitting side by side, adding up to a curious record whose raggedness feels like a statement of purpose.
celebrates the moments that don't add up, the places where the present blurs with the past, delivering songs with a sly wink that camouflages a teary eye.
is never rowdy -- the closest it comes is the train-track beat of
' original "Don't Know What It Means" -- but there's an earthiness to the trio's chemistry that signals how deeply the group knows each other's strengths and weaknesses. This is where
' long history of woodshedding pays off: far from sounding like a busman's holiday, there's a shared past that's evident in every moment of this debut, and that natural, relaxed camaraderie is the reason why
is such an appealing listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine