If you liked the late 80's Bonnie Raitt then you'll like this album. That feels like the inspiration for the sound here and Susan Tedeschi does a very good Raitt impersonation. The sound here is a bit more country/southern rock and a bit bigger with a full band, but ultimately it carries a very similar feel to that era Raitt music. This doesn't mean it's a bad album, it just doesn't feel very original. Still it's a solid set of songs and if you enjoy full sounding, commercial, southern blues, then give it a listen.
It would be a good album for throwing on while making Saturday dinner.
Following the Rhapsody rating method I give it 2 out of 5 stars for Not Bad.
Matthew, could you give some examples of country artists who you find original?
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head: Taylor Swift, Alison Krauss, Brad Paisley, and others. I haven't listened to Paisley a lot, but he does have a unique lyrical voice, even if he enjoys that old country sound.
ReplyDeleteIf you go back a few years I would say Kelly Willis and Freakwater are good examples of originals who didn't make it big and The Dixie Chicks are one that did.
I agree with all of your choices. In fact, if you listen to country radio, I think the artists you name just leap out by comparison to the rest of the crowd.
ReplyDeleteI think generally speaking the artists who have long standing, successful careers are original in some way or another. To me there is nothing too original about Kenny Chesney, but the truth is he brought a new voice and feel to country music that is uniquely his.
ReplyDeleteI think Susan Tedeschi is a really great singer. What an odd experience something like this must be.
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