Getting Somewhere

Allison Moorer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 13, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sugarhill
• ASIN: B000FFL3B0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,692 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Work To Do

2. You'll Never Know

3. Hallelujah

4. Fairweather

5. New Year's Day

6. How She Does It

7. Where Are You

8. Take It So Hard

9. If It's Just For Today

10. Getting Somewhere

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Marriage to Steve Earle (who produced this album) seems to have inspired the musical emancipation of Allison Moorer. Whereas her earliest releases seemed to balance commercial country potential with alt-country attitude, her sixth album achieves a different sort of balance--between fuzztone guitars (which variously recall garage bands, grunge, and Neil Young's work with Crazy Horse) and Beatlesque melodies, hooks, and harmonies. The music would be hard to classify as country, but is difficult to resist. Rather than extending the tradition of Patsy Cline or Dolly Parton, the ebullient propulsion of the opening "Work to Do" and "Fairweather" reminds one more of the Go-Go's and the Bangles. Following the chamber strings and double-tracked vocals that enhance "Where You Are," the intro to "Take It So Hard" pays homage to "Wild Thing," rock at its most primitive. For all of the music's surface catchiness, the writing is some of Moorer's deepest to date, from the bittersweet yearning of "You'll Never Know" and introspective balladry and spiritual refrain of "Hallelujah" to the closing title track's folkish prayer of perseverance. While her soulful singing and Southern accent remain undiminished, the results sound less like a musical progression for Moorer than a fresh start. --Don McLeese

Product Description

In a sea of very serious singer/songwriters, Allison Moorer hits a career high with an upbeat, infectious pop album in Getting Somewhere. Getting Somewhere is the sound of Allison Moorer finding her voice, finding her faith, finding her peace. Getting Somewhere means looking inward, confronting the past and forging a glad present and a hopeful future. In the process, she takes her artistry to the next level and revolutionizes her life. Produced by Steve Earle. ''Moorer's voice is a slow, side-of-the-mouth drawl one part bourbon, one part molasses'' -Rolling Stone

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars What a Shame June 20, 2006

By Harold Billings

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Alison has such a lovely voice that it is a shame that it gets so covered up by Steve's production. A rather muddy sound to this -- which may fit Steve's style in some cases, but not in what Allison does best ... which is to let her lyrics work their magic while that beautiful voice is clear and up front. The lyrics are even less clear on this album than has been the case on several of her recent songs.

It takes a lot of listening to get what Allison has to say, and she is an excellent lyricist with some of the most powerful songs in today's country-Americana field. But as one commentator says, she is allowing herself to drift too much towards pop. And that is just not her best metier. Compare the placement of her voice on this album with that of Brandi Carlile on her recent CD. What a shame that Steve did so badly by this wonderful talent.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More than meets the eye October 5, 2006

By Bert Echo

Format:Audio CD

At first listen, 'Getting Somewhere' plays like an Allison Moorer foray into traditional singer-songwriter pop. However, after a few spins, Moorer's personal lyrics begin to come to the surface. 'Work To Do' and 'Fairweather' are tight pop songs that deal with moving on after the end of a bad relationship and the resulting promise of a clean slate. While the protagonist of 'The Duel' from Moorer's previous album of the same name was "a newborn atheist", the main character on 'Hallelujah' wearily professes that "faith is hard to find, thank God I found mine in time". Moorer's double-tracked vocals on 'Where You Are' are simply sublime in a touching chamber-pop tune reportedly written for her sister, Shelby Lynne. Moorer's powerful voice is in fine form throughout the album and she is backed by a top-notch band that never overplays its hand. There is not a wasted note or lyric on this album that clocks in at a bit over 30 minutes. Moorer has never been better as a lyricist and this is exemplified by the timely closing song 'Getting Somewhere', with it's eerie slide and electric guitar and lyrics that allude to Hurricane Katrina "broken and banished left there to sink, knee deep in water not one drop to drink" and the Iraq War "motherless babies and husbandless brides, stranded with nothing but tears in their eyes, no home to go to their world ripped apart, look to the sky and they open their hearts".

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A change will do you good! November 11, 2007

By Thomas E. Davis TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Those country traditionalists wedded to Allison Moorer's old sound will not like the way she's changed upon wedding Steve Earle. But Moorer has never allowed herself to be stuck in or chained to any one musical style, and this transition from alt-country toward a popular sensibility is a superb showcase for her fine songwriting and her magical voice. Give it a try. I love the varied instrumentation she employs as well as the variety of themes she explores. It's definitely a new day for Allison, and this change, in my view, has done her a world of good.