It's All True

Flame-haired keeper of the rockabilly flame comes into her own on her long-awaited third album, The sound is as vintage and pure as it's always been, seemingly recorded into a single ribbon microphone in complete takes, with ripping it up behind her gutsy vocals. Guitarist throws some surprising touches into his fleet solos, while bassist and drummer keep the songs popping and bouncing. As befits a Texas native, keeps a country twang and a -esque hiccup prominent in her delivery, though she can shout the walls down with all the force of or . Of course, she can also slow it down and get seductive when she wants to, as demonstrated by the swinging, bluesy and the country-tinged lament Unlike many modern rockabilly acts, she also writes the lioness' share of her material -- eight of the album's twelve tracks are originals, including one co-written with rockabilly revival king . But the album's tone is most strongly set by its opening and closing tracks, and They're fast, furious, and guaranteed to get toes tapping and dancers spinning on the floor. ~ Phil Freeman