Unremarkable country-folk. Cox has a nice throaty alto voice with occasional forays to the upper register. Think Gillian Welch meets Alanis Morissette (but not quite so annoying). The accompaniment is mostly repetitive and uncomplicated. This kind of music can be great if the lyrics are surprising and incisive, but even though Cox does avoid triteness, her lyrics still manage to be unaffecting. Sometimes (e.g. "I checked the date on the milk / I can't help but wonder if it will expire before you call me") they just baffle. With some exceptions, this album neither demands your attention nor deserves it. FCC's: 2, 5(?)
1: Picky guitars, strong wounded country woman vocals, a "why won't you call me?" lament. There's a slide guitar and a growly guitar solo, but everything is stylistically muted. Repetitive chorus.
2: Quiet intro, nice bridge. FCC ("fuck off").
3: Laid-back. Bongoey drums. Overdubbed-sounding vocals.
4: My favorite. Old West-sounding. Has abandoned her fear of metre in lyrics. Better imagery. Worth playing.
5: Unceasing 2x/measure monotonous drumbeat. Repetitive. FCC? ("Go to hell.")
6: Dance hall piano. Swingy vocals. Agoraphobic fiddle. Monotonous drums again.
7: Delicate spare acoustic guitar. Oprah-ish sentiments about empowerment and loneliness.
8: Good! Reggae beat. Better lyrics. Croony back-up vocals. New emotional mode (I'm dangerous). Nice layering of sound near end.
10: Upbeat. Return of hateful drums. Hard-driving bridge (by album's standards). There's a nice 12-string guitar floating on top, but unfortunately it's as shy as the fiddle. Nice syncopated chorus vocals.
11: A capella blues/gospel. Gillian Welch mode. Lovely voice, but no direction to the music.
12: Bad tambourine. Bad rhymes. Bad metre.
-Kathryn (7/12/04)