Let's kick off with some audiophile chinscratching: this album sounds very good. The vocals are captured in great detail, allowing them to sound very "real" and showing off the vocal range. An oddball exception is Crossfire, which lacks any sense of power or size. But the instruments on the rest of the album are a treat, in particular the great character of the guitars and crisp punchiness of the drums.
...The caveat to all of this is Kasey's "whiney" vocals! Many people don't like the style, but personally I really dig it.
Not Pretty Enough is a nice, touching pop song; however it has been flogged to death on radio, so I am "over" it. On a Bad Day has a similar style and I welcome the injection of some more country influence. Its twee chorus, though, is a bit of a letdown.
I know I should respect the pioneering rockabilly style of Chet Atkins as per A Little Bit Lonesome, but it just doesn't click for me somehow. However, this songs echoes Reel Big Fish's use of alcholism to solve relationship dramas(!) with the great phrase:
Well I grabbed a glass,
And said "Kiss my arse
I'm gonna drink you outta my head"
Nullabor Song and This Mountain are wonderful showcases for the vocal talent. While I do find the songs aimlessly wander (which is exactly the point!), at the same time I enjoy them as they really lets the vocals shine.
Crossfire introduces a great rock groove. In the context of the album I really enjoy it, however really it's more of a welcome refresher towards the end of the album, rather than a great song in its own right.
What is a great song, though, is the perfect blend of pop and country in If I Were You. Perhaps is it musically very similar to Drive Mr Bayliss, but I still really dig it. The lyrics are a particular highlight, with that wonderful country music ability to state simple, yet profound, truths.
The gritty rock-blues groove of Runaway Train works a treat. But, despite the ordering of the songs on this album would have you believe, Runaway Train is just a warm-up for Barricades & Brickwalls. What a fantastically moody song! It evokes vivid images of a lawless twilight zone scene and is an all-time favourite song of mine.
As you may have noticed from previous posts, duets aren't my cup of tea at all. Therefore, when I saw that I Still Pray is a brilliantly spine-tingling duet, this is a very special achievement. The lyrics are very touching, while the vocals from Paul Kelly and Kasey Chambers blend together perfectly.
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