2009-11-06
Amanda Shires is a fiddle-and-guitar-playing young woman from Lubbock who cut her teeth playing on the side for the legendary western swing band the Texas Playboys at the age of 16. This is her first real solo outing and it is drawing praise from musicians such as Chris Isaak, Justin Townes Earle and Slaid Cleves -- as well as innumerable marriage offers from the (in)famous singer/humorist Kinky Friedman. The opening songs starts with her asserting, "I hope I haunt you good," and even though that tune is not representative of the entire set, Amanda's higher-register delivery and fondness for traditional folk storytelling grow on you. The dark "I Kept watch Like the Doves" and the outstanding "Mineral Wells" show a special talent. I hope she gets her chance to build a national audience; there's a lot more here than we can take in from these 11 songs. 11/09 Michael J. F-AmericanaSECRET SISTERS
The Secret Sisters
LOWEN & NAVARRO
Hogging The Covers
Jorma Kaukonen
Stars In My Crown
MATT THE ELECTRICIAN
Accidental Thief
TEDDY THOMPSON
Upfront & Down Low
Rob Ickes Trey Hensley
The Country Blues
The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.