Customer Reviews

Woman in the Moon

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Very good album from Chely Wright however she released this traditional country album when country music was beginning to go more mainstream and modern contemerary direction.
Probably why this album didn't do much for Ms. Wrights career.

Very well done.

"Let Me In" is her best album.

Woman in the Moon, Chely Wright's debut album, is her most traditionally country album. It gets a healthy 4 stars as it's good music. I'm not the biggest fan of the traditional genre, so I didn't feel it enough for 5. But it's of doubtless high quality. Here are songs:

Till I was Loved by You - fast and lively
He's a Good Ole Boy - humorous. Chely gives away some guy on condition that he can't be returend. This one is fast and lively too

Till All Her Tears are Dry
Go On and On - fast and lively
Woman in Moon - the man in the moon is indifferent, so Chely turns to the woman in the moon for advice

Sea of Cowboy Hats - very energetic, excellent honkeytonkin' tune
I Love You Enough - quintessential country tune
Nobody But a Fool - excellent faster country song
He Don't Do Bars Anymore - Chely has won guy away from bars
Last Supper - Chely sets the supper table real nice as a send off to hubby who's running around and cheating.

I had managed an outlet of a successful West Coast music retailer for many years when this album was released. In Los Angeles, representatives from record labels would come to my store on a daily basis promoting their next release and asking for merchandising space and in-store play. In-store play at that time was at the discretion of the managers and was not "sold" to record labels. The country label reps knew that very few stores would country on the in-store sound system (maybe Garth Brooks, but even that was pushing it). These reps knew they could come to my stores and find a place for their latest country release.

When Woman in the Moon was released in 1994, I remember listening to it in store while the rep was putting together a display for some band, and when he was done we chatted about how refreshing it was to see a debut album where more than half the cuts were co-written by the artist. We talked for a long time about how pure her voice was and how strong her songwriting skills were, but we guessed that this CD would largely be ignored by radio - in 1994, the #1 spots on the country charts were dominated by male performers. (We did sell one copy of this CD while it was playing in store and we were chatting - the rep was thrilled!). We hoped that the label would stick with her and let her build a fan base. Luckily the Academy of Country Music recognized Chely as top new female vocalist and she went on to release Right in the Middle of It (1996), Let Me In (1997), and her commercial breakthrough album Single White Female (1999). (We didn't hear much more from the other two women in the ACM new vocalist category Lisa Brokop - who had more success in her native Canada, and Victoria Shaw - who went on to write many Top 10 hits for other artists).

This CD is an excellent purchase, especially for fans of female singer/songwriters. Newer fans of Chely Wright (from Lifted Off the Ground 2010) would do well to see the progression 15+ years has made for this artist. Listen to the phrasing and inflection already here - obviously Chely Wright is an artist who understands and loves the music she's singing. Woman in the Moon is a product of its time and does reflect back onto the honky-tonk line-dance clubs that were all the rage back in 1994 and the tracks "Till I Was Loved By You," "Sea of Cowboy Hats" and "Listenin' To The Radio" inform that with heavy fiddles and steel guitars. This CD is far removed from her more recent work, the aforementioned (and brilliant) Lifted Off the Ground and the earlier Metropolitan Hotel, but a good add to your "underappreciated singer/songwriters" CD collection nonetheless.

And seeing as this CD is out of print and unlikely to be reissued, I'd suggest if you are a Chely Wright fan, you should pick it up while it's still available.

This was Chely's first album and one of her best so far!
With a real 90's traditional country sound.Such as the toe-tapping Till I Was Loved By You,Go On And Go and the cracking single Good Ole Boy.This will definitely having you pressing the repeat button.
But she also has some lovely ballads that really suit her beautiful voice like Till All Her Tears Are Dry,He Don't Do Bars Anymore,The Last Supper and her great version of Keith Whitley's I Love You Enough To Let You Go.
Chely has one of the best voices in country music and is one of the best artist's (even if she doesn't get enough credit)This is a great album to get you started on Chely's career rollercoaster.You will not be disappointed...

I believe that Chely's music is the softest and sweetest in country genre. I've read that Chely's first album "woman in the Moon" was not well sold. I don't understand why, Bif Naked already said in I Bificus "everything happens for a reason and that's good to remember coz the music business is really, really weird", and I quite agree with her.

An excellent traditional country album. Chely had the right combination the first time out. However, like so many other mainstream country artists of today she immediately "sold out" and began recording the pop/country blend that gets the airplay on radio and is targeted to the contemporary female country listener's ear. If you like real country music from a female country artist pick this one up...all her albums are downhill from here.