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Allison Moorer: Miss Fortune |
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Track List 1.
TUMBLING DOW |
(Universal South) Allison Moorer possesses
one of the finest voices, not only in Nashville, but in music today, a
deep, sultry, smoky, soulful, and powerful alto. She is also a gifted
writer of intelligent, thought provoking songs. So therefore it's no
wonder that after two critically acclaimed CDs, Allison has yet to
achieve commercial success, in this age of candy-coated pop confection
songs sung by eye-candy singers greatly aided by studio enhanced
vocals.
On her two previous releases, Alabama
Song and The Hardest Part, Allison masterfully straddled
the fence between neo-traditional country, and an edgier, more
contemporary brand, that proved too cerebral, and perhaps a bit too
dark, for country radio's taste. Allison, however remained unconcerned
with radio play, instead choosing to focus her many talents on making
music of substance and quality.
With her third release Miss Fortune,
Allison once again makes her music on her own terms, and this
time just may surprise her loyal and devoted fans. While she takes a
direction that's further away from country than her previous releases,
Miss Fortune is nevertheless a "southern" album,
dripping thick as honey with her sultry Alabama twang. Here,
while elements of country are still there, she infuses her songs with
pop, rock, folk, soul and blues. This is not to say that Allison is
intentionally looking to cross over, nor is she aiming to water-down
her sound to get radio play. On the contrary. The songs on this disc
defy category- they're far too substantial and soulful for country
radio play. At the same time, there's still too much country
there for crossover play.
In reality, my first thoughts the first
time I listened to this disc, is it is far closer to Dusty
Springfield's outstanding Memphis period, and has more than a
few fleeting glimpses of Bobby Gentry tucked in for good
measure. Other songs have a heavy Stone's circa Exile On Main
Street groove to them. While comparisons to big sister Shelby
Lynn, and her brilliant album I Am Shelby Lynn that she put
out after cutting her Nashville ties are inevitable, being a fan of
both ladies, I can say that Miss Fortune is a very different
album, and has a very different feel to it. Allison is very much her
own person, the only similarity being that like her sister, she
refuses to compromise her music, and will not settle on being
"compartmentalized."
Allison continues to explore the inner
workings of relationships on Miss Fortune, particularly the
murkier sides, however, it's not nearly as dark as The Hardest
Part. "Tumbling Down," "No Place For A Heart" and "Yessirree" are
smoky, soulful ballads. The country/folk of "Let Go" despite it's
pretty melody, tells of the end of a relationship and the deperation
of trying to move on from it. She turns it up and rocks on "Going
Down" with it's "Brown Sugar-like" jangling groove. "Can't Get There
From Here" is soaring mid-tempo country-soul that incorporates
both steel and horns. "Up this High" leans towards country-pop, but
with the accent heavily on the country and the twang.
The standout tracks where Allison
positively shines are "Ruby Jewel Was Here," a sultry,
sassy bluesy/soul tune with a country theme, that brings to mind Bobby
Gentry's "Ode To Billy Joe." "Steal The Sun" is full blown blue-eyed
Memphis soul, and with her smoky vocals, Allison soars on this track.
"Hey Jezebel" rocks and is delivered with such sassy defiance, that
any "Jezebel" just might want to heed her words and keep on
walking...the other way. "Dying Breed," the disc's closing number, is
a creepy, dark and haunting song about substance addiction. The song
is a slow, Appalachian, bluegrass inflected number that leaves plenty
of chills behind in it's wake.
Can Miss Fortune be called a
country album? In all honesty, no. There are so many other influences
involved. It does however, heavily reflect Allison's southern roots as
well as her independent streak. The songs are well written, but it all
ultimately comes down to one thing- Allison's glorious powerful and
supple voice that wraps itself around every note with utter
perfection. And you can be sure that voice is for real and full of
honesty, her CD even makes note that "absolutely no vocal tuning or
pitch correction used in making this record," a rather sad indictment
of the music industry today, when artists feel the need to point out
their own authenticity.
Overlook the fact that Miss Fortune
is a departure from Allison's previous work, and instead just
enjoy the CD for what it is, an album of great music from a gifted
songwriter, who also has an incredible vocal talent, that just happens
to cross a few musical boundaries.
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AnnMarie
Harrington Take Country Back August 2002