| Barricades and Brickwalls - Kasey Chambers | |
|
Reviewed by Matt Bjorke
While I wouldn't consider Kasey Chambers a traditional country music artist, I wouldn't consider her a rock singer either. Kasey fits into that "Alt-Country" format that is sometimes called Americana. Born in Australia, Kasey is a star there and released her previous CD, The Captain, on Asylum/Warner Brothers records in 2000.
With the release of her sophomore CD, Barricades & Brickwalls, Kasey has deftly crafted a collection of songs that make sure she won't follow the traditional "sophomore slump syndrome" that many talented artists go through. She is the writer, or co-writer, of all the tracks on the CD for her excellent remake of Gram Parsons' "Still Feeling Blue."
Vocally Kasey has a soft alto similar to pop singer Jewel and Lucinda Williams. Kasey also has some cool friends that appear on her CD. Among the guests are Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller, singer-songwriter Matthew Ryan and Australian rock group, The Living End.
"Barricades & Brickwalls" opens the CD with a mixture of rock styled electric guitars. The lyrics of the song make this more of a Blues styled song. The lyrics simply say that there is nothing that will keep her from her man, no matter what he does. It wasn't long ago that a song like this would've been a steel guitar drenched classic on country radio.
"Not Pretty Enough" is the first single that was released to country and adult rock radio. It is also a video which CMT and GAC air once in a while. Musically the song is not much different than the current crop of country songs out there. It's an up-tempo ballad that is about how Kasey doesn't understand why her womanly like qualities aren't noticed by the guy who "sees right trough (her)."
With its steady dose of Fiddle, Steel Guitar, Dobro and Banjo, "On A Bad Day" has more going on for it than many current country hits do. It is simply a stellar track that also features a nice harmony vocal by Lucinda Williams. The lyrics tackle the familiar theme of being neglected or rejected by her boyfriend.
Where did "A Little Bit Lonesome" come from? With it's sound ripped straight from the 1950's "girl singers," this track tackles the tried and true theme of a woman being lonesome and her ex being the one to blame. This is a song that could be an instant classic on any classic country station or the "Real Country" radio network. (Well, that was until I heard the like "kiss my A**" near the end of the track.)
"A Million Tears" is a silky ballad about heartache. Featuring Folk-Rock singer Matthew Ryan on harmony vocals, the pairing makes the song even more lonesome sounding. The instrumentation has a steady drum beat that penetrates through to your heart making you feel the pain that they are feeling as they sing.
With its cool honky-tonk sound, "Crossfire" is a short song about how that certain guy makes her feel so instead of saying that her heart is broken, Kasey says that she doesn't "have a heart."
About a minute after the end of "I Still Pray" there is a wonderful acoustic song called "Ignorance" that Kasey simply sings with an acoustic guitar. With a theme similar to "What If She's An Angel," this song hits a lot harder in my soul. It says that we should not ignore the rest of the world. This song is exactly what needs to be said, especially in an America post 9-11-01. Kasey sings, "Just 'because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's gone away."
While she's not quite a rock singer and not quite a country singer, Kasey Chambers is a fine singer that fits nicely into that new Americana genre that kind of takes all those who don't fit into any one genre. Whether she is singing a true-blue country song like "Still Feeling Blue" to the rocking "Barricades & Brickwalls" to her rant about the ills of the world, Kasey will leave the listener spellbound and wanting more.
Song List:
Album cover, used with permission of Warner Brothers.
Click on the button below to find the best price for this CD and purchase it from a retailer on the Internet.
