Stand Still, Look Pretty

The Wreckers

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 23, 2006)
• Original Release Date: May 23, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Maverick
• ASIN: B0009F43V8
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,252 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Wreckers are Grammy-winning songstress Michelle Branch and friend/journeywoman Nashville singer-songwriter Jessica Harp, a team whose solid craftsmanship and soaring, airtight harmonies often lift their hook-smart contemporary country stylings above what's too often mere fizzy, pop-crossover formula. They may have entered the public consciousness via the wide exposure of "Good Kind" on the primetime soap opera One Tree Hill, but the bracing, back-porch charms of the single "Leave the Pieces" should find them a following well beyond that series' teen audience. The reflective title track, gritty folk charms of "Tennessee" and giddy crowd-pleaser "My, Oh My" are suffused with a lyrical maturity that's the perfect counterpoint to the duo's sturdy musical constructs. Solid songs all, delivered with a muscular vocal conviction that does considerably more than merely sell them. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

The Wreckers are about creation, not destruction. Bringing together two young, fearless female singersongwriter-acoustic guitarists—Grammy®-winning, platinum-selling Michelle Branch and collaborator Jessica Harp—The Wreckers’ debut album, Stand Still, Look Pretty, blends Branch’s pop-rock sensibility with Harp’s country-folk style. Edgy yet rootsy, on Stand Still, Look Pretty, The Wreckers have a ball.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Wreckers deliver a enjoyable debut album that is easy on the ears.., May 23, 2006

By	A. G. Corwin - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Throwing away the chains of pop music stardom, and basking in her new motherhood, singer Michelle Branch has formed a new band with friend and Kansas City native Jessica Harp to write and perform modern country music with a rock and roll touch. Performing with heart and energy, The Wreckers offer the pleasing mixture of country and pop that has become a staple of today's Nashville, delivering several sure singles, several stand out tracks, with some enjoyable tasting filler in between.

The songs feel comfortable and familiar, whether its due to some similarities with Branch's earlier work or just their ability to sound a lot like the Dixie Chicks. But even the filler tastes pretty good. The first single Leave the pieces is a pure modern country-pop song, full of tight vocal harmonies and with violins and banjos providing flourishes to the guitar heavy arrangement. Fans of tv show One Tree Hill will remember The Good Kind, a more plaintive and emotional song with Jessica and Michelle trading lines in their pleasant voices; sometimes it's hard to tell where Michelle's voice begins and Jessica's ends. Tennessee, another potentially huge single, has a definite Faith Hill feel to it, with a soaring chorus and is one of the best tracks on the album. My Oh My and Crazy People are more traditional country songs, driven by banjos and having a bluegrass flavor that makes for a highly addictive combination. The powerfully gentle title track Stand Still Look Pretty and the soft track Rain are more somber and reserved and musically more diverse, and fit in perfectly with the overall tenor of the record.

Spending the summer on tour with Rascal Flatts seems appropriate for The Wreckers, since they deliver the same type of easily digestible modern country that sounds darn good on the radio. It's not the most adventurous songwriting in the world, and it probably won't win praise with critics because of its commercial viability, but its a lot of fun nonetheless. If you enjoy Dixie Chicks, Rascal Flatts, or Michelle Branch's previous work, you will enjoy this album. The writing is solid, the music is as slickly produced as you would expect from a bevy of Nashville producers and Jessica and Michelle's friendship makes for some beautiful music. Recommended.

A.G. Corwin
St.Louis, MO

25 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A successful change for Michelle Branch, May 25, 2006

By	Parkin (PA) - See all my reviews

I'm a big fan of all of Michelle Branch's pop/rock solo albums. I still want another solo album from Michelle, but I can't complain at all about Stand Still, Look Pretty. Largely produced by John Leventhal, the production is polished, but not slick enough to overpower the good musicianship going on here. Michelle and Jessica Harp harmonize very well because of their similar voices. Sometimes it's difficult to tell them apart. The album is quite serious, but ends up with the humorous "Crazy People." Without that song to lighten things up, I would have reduced the CD's rating a bit. Finally, a little of Michelle's pop and folk styles do come through on songs like the title track and "Rain." Great job, Michelle and Jessica!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent debut, November 11, 2006

By	J. Johnson "Allman Brothers obsessive" (Manassas, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Michelle Branch carved out a place for herself in the young female pop singer market serveral years ago with a brilliant debut and a successful if derivitive duet with Carlos Santana. This record is her first with friend Jessica Harp. The ladies mine the borderline between the singer/songwriter and country genres for quality songs that should fit well in the americana format.

Highlights include the opening track Leave the Pieces, Way Back Home, The Good Kind, and the title track Stand Still Look Pretty. Of special note is the presence of producer/multi-instrumentalist John Leventhal on many tracks.

I recommend this record for folks who like songs that don't sound like formula country.