IRENE KELLEY
Simple Path (Relentless)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Irene Kelley has been working the Nashville rounds for a decade, and she's racked up a fair bit of success as a songwriter. That's got to be gratifying (and, hopefully, profitable), but there must be a measure of frustration with that success, as well. The fact is, many of the performers who have recorded her songs couldn't possibly sing them as well as she does, both because she's obviously going to have a better grasp of the emotional content that pervades her lyrics, and because she's got one of the finest country voices around.

Her years of working the Bluebird Cafe, opening for friends and pitching songs are paid off on Simple Path by the presence of some outstanding pickers in her supporting cast, including fiddler Aubrey Haynie and bassist Victor Krauss. It's a straightforward production, with Kelley's voice and lyrics up front, as befits a songwriter's showcase album, but the sound is rich and contemporary enough to grab some radio attention, as well. In fact, a demo sent out before she signed her Relentless contract won her the nod as New Artist Of The Year on Boston's WUMB, an Americana powerhouse.

Fans of Emmylou, Alison, Dolly and other top flight country songbirds had better make room for one more on their shelves. Irene Kelley's path looks to be simply straight to the top.

Track List:

A Little Bluer Than That * O Mexico * Not So Different After All * Scorns Of Time * It Wasn't Me * Dancin' Shoes * Pilgrim In The Rain * Constant State Of Grace * Jealousy * One Fine Day * Never Lookin' Back

© 2001 - Shaun Dale