I don't know why, but I have the belief that out there somewhere the perfect country album is waiting to be made. Which is kind of odd, because there is very little country music that I actually like. Of course, there's Lambchop, but no one in their right mind would really consider them country, not in the true sense..
So when I opened the new beautifully packaged LAURA CANTRELL album and began to read the song by song descriptions penned by Laura herself (in the press pack only, kids) I thought this could well be it. After all, Laura was a huge favourite of John Peel's, recording five sessions for the programme and making one of his all time favourite albums, 2000s "Not the Tremblin' Kind".
And its not bad at all, actually, but its not the one. There are some good songs here, like opener "14th Street" written by Laura's friend Emily Sprey, and one great song, Laura's self penned "Khaki and Corduroy" - but its not the one.
What I do particularly like about these songs is the subject matter - "14th Street" is about seeing someone on the street that you're obsessed with, and trying to decide whether to speak to them. We've all been there, right? "Khaki and Corduroy" is about New York when Laura first moved there from her native Nashville - its slow, low key but beautifully played and hits a perfect mood.
Another favourite is "letters" - again the subject matter is something that really strikes a chord. Its about the great feeling you get when you receive a letter (a real one mind you, not the hundreds of junk letters I seem to get every day..) - its about the feel of the envelope, the anticipation of opening it, the different kinds of paper people use - all things which are rapidly getting lost in the e-mail age, just as this record sleeve would have been so much more magical if it had been a vinyl album. The song makes you realise that soon very few people will remember that experience and makes you contemplate how many other experiences like this the human race has lost in time..
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So if I like these songs so much, how come this isn't the one, the perfect country album? Well, partly because I failed to fall instantly in love with Laura's voice, which is a bit thin. I prefer the singing of another country singer I came across recently, Gina Villalobos, to be honest. Maybe its also the huge number of musicians used on the album which gives some of the arrangements an impersonal, country-by-numbers feel? Certainly a few of the other songs on here are a bit weak too. Or maybe I just expect too much? Maybe the Country equivalent of "Heaven Up Here" just isn't out there waiting to be made?
Anyway, this album is a seven when I was hoping for a perfect ten. Lots of people will quote it amongst their albums of the year, and Laura (now signed to Matador) will do perfectly well out of it. Me, I'll just carrying on expecting the impossible..
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