Customer Reviews

Wayward Angel (Mcup)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I will say this upfront about Kasey Chambers: she consistently creates great albums that are only a few songs away from being excellent. Such is the case with her newest release. When sticking to the Americana-style of roots music, she approaches genius. But her occasional musical journeys into soft pop weigh the entire collection down. Two or three of the songs (including Paper Aeroplane) are bland, and bring nothing new to the listener; at least not this listener. That's fine though; the ten terrific songs are well worth what I paid for the CD.

Prime Cuts: Pony, Bluebird, Like a River

Former lead singer of Australian country band Dead Ringer Band, singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers returns with her third solo album, "Wayward Angel." Once again, this Aussie native serves notice by her insightful lyrics and her keening vocals, often compared to a more angst Emmylou Harris with a trace of Iris Dement's nasal tinge. Like all her solo albums, "Wayward Angel" defies any genre categorization: there's a dose of country-pop, a splash of folk, a pinch of rock and definitely a noticeable slice of bluegrass. Nevertheless, regardless of styles, Chambers has an affecting élan and she is never one to be emotionally peripatetic. Rather, you can hear and feel her heart as she sings with her seasoned nuance through these sylvan tunes.

The album opener, "Pony," an understated pop ballad, finds Chambers putting her best foot forward. Unlike her previous self-depreciative hit "Not Pretty Enough," "Pony" finds a femme fatale making her seductive come-ons performed with a confident and enthralling undertone. "Like a River," the first Australian single, is an effervescent country-pop number with a love struck Chambers basking in the euphoria of love. With an infectious melody and Chambers' fervent performance, "Like a River" stands toe-to-toe with any major country product from Music Row. Clamorous for authenticity, sophomore single "Hollywood," a popish mid tempo number, is a desperate and vulnerable plea; you can almost Chambers' heart breaking as she sings, "This ain't Hollywood this is my heart." While traditionalists may feel querulous, "Guilty as Sin" finds a zesty Chambers kicking up her heels on her most rock number to date bolstered by some delightful sounding jaunty guitars.

On the more rustic end, Chambers veers perilously close to Emmylou Harris territory with the heart wrenching "Bluebird." This plaintive country ballad tells the story of an unsavory Chambers questioning the reliability of her paramour's devotion. While the more philosophical "Lost and Found" may not be the best ballad Chambers has had written, but it's performed with verve. Taking a stab at bluegrass, "Follow You Home," boasts some delightful mandolin and banjo solos, resulting in a Rhonda-Vincent-reminiscent piece.

Overall, "Wayward Angel" though marketed as a country album, does not suffer from the Nashville radio gloss. Maybe part of the reason resides in Chambers' insistence that brother, Nash Chambers handles the production. With Nash's deftly touches and Kasey's firm deploy from Nashville's stringent style, "Wayward Angel" truly is an effort that soars well above the escarpments of country music's insipidness.

It's been three years since Kasey's last release, and anyone who has followed her knows how different her life is now than when she made Barricades and Brickwalls. The growth, nurture, and love that's followed since the birth of her son is quite evident in Wayward Angel. The songs, particularly the softer tracks, flow together marvelously and show a maturing artist. There was a complaint by one fan that the lyrics were "too biographical." First, I'm struggling to figure out how that could ever be a negative thing for a musician to convey. And second, Kasey's tales are extraordinary. I literally got chills at the peak of "Paper Aeroplane" and just hope I never hear it at a funeral, or I'll completely lose it. If you catch any interview with Kasey, you can tell that she just knows that she's progressed as a musician in the right direction. One listen to this record and you can tell too.

After the genre-bending joy of Chambers's last release Barricades and Brickwalls, I found myself a little troubled by Wayward Angel. Quite simply there are stretches of it that could've been made by any country-pop artist - "Mother," "For Sale," and especially the single "Hollywood" are watered-down, and dare I say, even a little boring, to the point that they could have been made by Faith Hill. Chambers is still a gifted artist, undoubtedly, and she proves it for a good portion of the album - the sexy come on of "Pony," the bluegrass assault of "Follow You Home," the magnificent tenderness of "Lost and Found." But when Chambers indulges her pop tendencies, the results get generic, and for someone as original as Chambers, that gets a bit scary to hear.

On her third album, Kasey Chambers steps into her sound. A lot closer to the stripped basics of The Captian, Wayward Angel finds her exploring styles with the same eagerness she employeed on Barricades and Brickwalls. Her writing has matured and Wayward Angel finds her pushing it into new arenas. Overall, her most satisfying album to date.
The first track, "Pony" offers us a sweet and coy version of Kasey Chambers, which is the first time we have heard her this giggly and fun. This simple joy tracks through the album on songs like "Mother" "Follow You Home" and "Guitly As Sin." The last of these finds Kasey embracing a deliciously naughty Wanda Jackson vibe. There are still plenty of the heartwrenchingly sad songs that we have all come to expect from Kasey--including two of her best yet "More Than Ordinary" and "Lost and Found" which finds her ruminating "I am still here/there's no where else to go." This album also finds a new vulnerabilty for Chambers, in the deeply personal songs like "For Sale" and "Saturated." But perhaps the best song on the entire cd is the one which spawned a thousand Patty Griffin comparisons, the piano laden "Paper Aeorplane."
Anyone who has enjoyed Kasey Chambers in the past will find this album more than satisfying and it serves as the perfect intoduction to this delicately perfect artist.

This review is from the source - EG Australia. I have followed Kasey for years and have seen her many times in concert both on her own and with others (EG Emmy Lou Harris, Buddy Miller, etc). I introduced her Barricades & Brick Walls album on my radio show the day after it's release down here. I'm currently holding 5 tickets for her Brisbane concert on the 13th of AUG. Now...with that said...this album is, in my humble opinion, her best yet. In it she explores new musical ground and the mix is so eclectic that it's hard to pin down the genre. The country flavour is rich throughout, of course, but there's much, much more here. This album serves up flashes of rock (Guilty As Sin), soft torch (Paper Aeroplane) and blue-grass (Follow You Home). If Pony doesn't have you swaying along in time then you'd better give away listening to music all together and just wait until you get a load of Kere Buchanan's haunting drum work in the title track, Wayward Angel. The McCormack boys, Rod and Jeff, along with Steuart Smith and Mark Punch flesh out the brilliant musicianship on this album and Kasey's brother Nash and father Bill are still a part of the mix. You should do yourself a big favour and make this album your own.

As a huge fan of atsists like Iris DeMent, Nanci Griffith, Patty Griffin and Lucinda Williams I formed an instant attachemend to the music of Ms. Chambers when I heard her perform several songs off of Wayward Angel on the radio. I was so pleased by what I heard that I immediatlely went home and downloaded the album from iTunes and haven't stopped listening. If you are a Dement/Griffith fan, you will not be dissapointed.

The music press often refer to an act's thirds release as the difficult third album, (the first one features the very best of the songs perfected during the formative years, the second often boasts runner-up material from the first album and perhaps a new song or two, but by album number three it's often a case of starting from scratch, and under pressure), but Kasey Chambers has obviously had no difficulties at all.

Wayward Angel has a cohesive, organic feel, as if the songs all simply fell into place, just so. From the opening `Pony', with its quirky mix of contemporary vocals atop old-worldy cowboy backing, through to the rocking `Saturated' which closes the album, every number is warm and inviting, with a brighter edge to Kasey's vocals, as though she's had a little of the Lucinda Williams knocked off, and replaced with a tad more Julie Miller.

Standouts include first single, `Like A River', `Hollywood', `Bluebird', `Mother', `Pony' and the Emmylou-sounding title track. The gentle, acoustic `Paper Aeroplane' would stand out for its simple piano backing alone, were it not a beautifully moving ode to old age and loss. Overall the album mostly kicks into a faster gear in its final third: `Follow You Home', (a co-write with partner Cori Hopper); `Guilty As Sin', (fabulously dirty guitars); `Saturated', with Kasey sounding at times like Tony Joe White on oestrogen).

Some stunning lyrics, superlative playing, that great voice - a fine, fine third album from one of the best in the business.

Kim Porter, Forté Magazine, Australia

I don't know if I like this album better than Barricades and Brickwalls or not, but I do know they are my two favorite albums of the last 20 years. Kasey is a brilliant songwriter and singer who touches me in way almost no one else has. How such a young girl can write songs that reasonate so strongly with a 60 year old man is astonishing. Paper Aeroplane and the Nullabor Song are as emotionally powerful songs as I have ever experienced.

I am enjoying Kasey's latest. While I agree with those who say it is not quite up to Barricades and Brickwalls' level, I am not at all sorry I paid $30 dollars for it (which by the way, is far more than I have ever paid for a standard one disc CD). I am particularly enamored of the first track, Pony, yodeling and all, and love singing along with it. As for the technical aspects, I myself have not had any trouble playing the CD in my car or on my regular CD stereo player, however I have not tried it on my PC. Bottom line, I LIKE IT! :)