Silver City

It doesn't take long for to capture the listeners' attention. Her first tune pulls you in with its opening strains of a lonesome tremolo guitar, ' smoky voice purring "so tonight I'm feeling lonely baby" and then it all kicks into gear with a slap of drum and a whine of pedal steel. keeps the momentum going strong through the next couple songs. The galloping of recalls in her heyday. powered by big beat drums and crunching riffs, cleverly retells the story of (from the '70s AM radio hit) from her point of view. One of the Boston-based ' strengths is how she confidently takes on both and , sometimes in the same song. Tunes like the hardscrabble and the bluesy, bitter balance some fierce guitar licks with heartfelt twang. Her side proves particularly convincing when she slows things down on the introspective one of the numbers boasting the mandolin work of , from her New England forefathers . also skillfully essays a couple of diverse cover tunes. She imbues 's with an alluring torchy twang, while (penned by from the group ) gets a wonderful rootsy treatment. While the disc's second half is good, it doesn't sparkle as brightly as the captivating opening salvo. The record concludes with a pair of rather ordinary tunes, with the not quite powerful enough power ballad and a fun but lightweight country-billy romp Still, ' first album is a winner. serves as a compelling calling card to the alternative world and establishes as a performer to watch for in the future. ~ Michael Berick