Stompin' Ground
,
Michelle Malone
's first solo album for longtime friend/associate
Amy Ray
's
Daemon
imprint, continues her trend of tough rockers mixed with melodic but no less aggressive
ballads
. She gets
Dylan-ish
on
"2 Horns and 2 Wings,"
a burner heavily influenced by
Bob
"Maggie's Farm,"
right down to her ragged harmonica. Although most of the songs involve matters of the heart,
Malone
leans left with some political jabs on the surging
"Flagpole,"
one of her most explosive tracks and a highlight of this disc. Her vocals shift from raspy to silky throughout, especially on the mid-tempo strum of
"Cypress Inn."
There are also hints of
Sheryl Crow
and
Lucinda Williams
in the effortless way she constructs songs. But
is far more bluesy, especially on the acoustic stomp of
"Preacher's Daughter,"
a tune that shares a similar approach to
the Stones
'
"Prodigal Son."
unleashes some
swamp rock
"Samsonite,"
the opening
"Lafayette,"
and the closing
"True"
that features greasy slide guitar from
Jonny D.
reminiscent of
David Lindley
's work with
Jackson Browne
. The slightly experimental
funk
with distorted vocals of
"Snack n Shack,"
a minute-and-a-half mid-album detour named after the Atlanta studio where the album was recorded, sets the listener up for
"Cry Me a River"
(a
original, not the well-worn
standard
), the disc's most commercial stab at
country-rock
. Here
Ray
's mandolin and
Sheila Doyle
's fiddle add twang, taking
to
Jayhawks
territory. Call this the singer/songwriter's
Harvest
or
Beggars Banquet
then, since it revels in rootsy strumming and harder-edged, bluesy
rock
. It's propelled by
's tough and tender style and a dozen great songs you'll want to hear again. ~ Hal Horowitz