(13-track album/ EMI/ 2001)
Opening with this 13-track long-player�s title track, you can�t deny that the ravishingly sexy Kasey doesn�t sound like Dolly Parton, these songs being truly soulful, verse-chorus set-ups. �You can tie me down on the railway tracks,� she teases, �� let that freight train loose.�
�Not Pretty Enough� is the perfectly bittersweet foil for the type of beautifully fragile songs that Lisa Loeb used to produce, Kasey�s insecurities at the forefront of her songwriting. Similarly, �On A Bad Day� is a bewitchingly crisp show of sorrow, Kasey providing the distinctive voice while Dobro, banjo and fiddle merrily twiddle in the background.
Kasey is a �Country� artiste through and through, the perfect example in her work being �A Little Bit Lonesome� which is more than a bit inspired by Nashville, the traditional �Country�-music style recreated so authentically via the use of lap steel.
Still, Kasey does boast sassy pop sensibility in the catchy way that Amy Studt does so swell, the fantastically sublime �A Million Tears� shining bright courtesy of its �feedback guitars� and male backing vocals which gives the track such atmosphere, though �Crossfire� � recorded with The Living End� � is the rockiest tune.
There are so many quality tunes herein that could be singled out as an outstanding highlight, though �Nullabor Song� (with its quality lyric) and �Falling Into You� (which its bare-backed, just Kasey�s voice and her subdued acoustic guitar for empowering company) are quite simply amazing. Yet the hidden track in �Ignorance� is the greatest surprise of all and well worth the wait should you leave the CD playing after track 13 has faded. Recorded for the benefit of a children�s charity, her lyrics are sheer poetry of the most honest and sincere sort, making the anti-war poignancy of �Ignorance� (�If you�re not pissed off at the world then you�re just not paying attention�) the most awe-inspiring and captivating Country/ folk song I have ever heard.
Of this collection of tracks, 11 were solo-written by Kasey, 2 were co-written and one is a cunning cover song of Gram Parsons� Still Feeling Blue,� recorded and included for even better value. Full credit has to also go to Kasey�s brother Nash, who produced this stunning album.
Far from putting-up barricades and brickwalls of her own, Kasey admirably bares her soul for all to hear. Her unique voice goes right through the listener and might just stay with them for the rest of their lives.
If, then, you have an hour of spare time in your hectic lives to give something new and different a whirl, this girl and her gifted muse is yawping loud and strong.
(Steve Rudd)