Nell’s strongest selling point is her voice in whatever guise it takes. With the kind of music she chooses in a particular song she easily adapts herself. She’s like an upbeat female Johnny Cash and if you’re lucky enough to catch her live she does a great cover of Ring of Fire and the classic Robert Johnson song Hellhound on my Trail.
The title track is rousing, short and sweet. The rest of the album goes from sixties mowtown girl-group melodies and sentiments to country to spiritual and gospel. This album is a real mixed bag.
There is no main vocal sharing on this album nor, from what I can tell, too many backing singers or overdubs. It creates a raw and stripped down feel and lends honesty to the stories tells. From the start I was trying to do that thing that every listener does, I was trying to compare her to others. I was trying to think if I was to recommend her who I would say she reminded me of. This didn’ t work and I’m really glad. She really doesn’t sound like anyone but herself and that can only be a really good thing. I’m glad I listened to this album.
Review by: Meabh Barron
