Review - Anne Kirkpatrick “Cry Like a Man”

album on ABC through EMI

“Cry Like a Man” is the new album from the “godmother of Australian Country Music” Anne Kirkpatrick on ABC through EMI. Since 1974 Anne has been working on and creating her own brand of country-styled music. It has been given a 90s injection by producer Colin Watson on this collection of country, rock, folk, ballads, AOR and other non-country tunes.

There are a number of artists calling themselves Country musicians, and very few of them can create an ensemble like this one, aided of course by Anne’s years with Slim & Joy’s music caravan in the 60s, and by those afterwards on stage and in the studio on 9 other records. That style, however, has involved collecting standards and favourites, much to my disappointment: I’d prefer an artist of this calibre and experience to be writing more.

Of the dozen tracks on “Cry Like a Man” Anne wrote and/or co-wrote only two, Change Your Name being the personal stand-out of them. Others include the single Many Mothers by Joy McKean; its b-side, Eric Bogle’s Heart of the Land, and the obvious-American ditty Goin Strong, Goin Wrong.

“Cry Like a Man” from Anne Kirkpatrick - a new-country music milestone «««

PG (Jacky) Gleeson