Album Review
Kelly Willis
Easy
Rykodisc Records
Jeff:
Darren:
Purchase The Album
Double Take Review
It's time for the return of the double take review. In these special reviews both Darren and Jeff listen to the same new release, write reviews seperately and then they both get posted here. This allows you to see two different people's views on the same record. For this review we'll be looking at Kelly Willis's new record Easy.
Kelly Willis has consistently been turning out some of the best country albums for the last 12 years. It all started with her debut record “Well Traveled Love” and reached a pinnacle with the release of “What I Deserve” which still stands as the best country record in the past decade in my opinion. Willis has never turned out a disappointing album so it was with great interest that I waited for her newest release “Easy” to hit stores and she’s delivered yet again. Her powerful, distinct voice soars above the sparse acoustic setting of this record and it all comes together to make a worthy follow-up to “What I Deserve”.
With “Easy” Kelly Willis has also come into her own as a songwriter. You’ll find her writing all over this record. In fact you’ll find she wrote or co-wrote 6 of the albums 10 tracks. The debut single “If I Left You” leads off the album and shows an artist completely in control of her craft. She makes singing powerful country music seem effortless. “Easy (As Falling Apart)” is this album’s “What I Deserve”; a powerful gut wrenching song about lost love. Willis sounds absolutely heartbroken. The slick acoustic guitar vibe of “Getting To Me” will have you reaching for the repeat button. There is never a moment where Willis seems even slightly out of control.
Kelly also knows how to pick the cover songs. She tackles her husband Bruce Robison’s "What Did You Think" with ease and makes it her own. This song fits Kelly’s vocal styling like a glove. The bluegrass sounds of “You Can’t Take It With You” are unreal and show how Willis really can take her music in any direction successfully. She even covers the classic “Don’t Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim!” in stride.
Listening to a Kelly Willis record is an experience. Kelly’s confident vocal performances and top notch song selection leave you satisfied. There is no other artist out there that can cover as much musical and emotional ground with the kind of success Willis finds. She’s simply the best damn female country vocalist out there today and every fan should have a copy of this record. Kelly proves once again that it’s all to “Easy” for her to turn out the record of the year.
Album Review by Jeff Krasky
I remember growing up I used to wait for my favorite artists to release their next album. It would sometimes seem like an eternity before I had a new piece of vinyl (yeah, I said vinyl) in my hands to listen to. As I got older, and I guess got more patients, the excitement of the next release for 99% of the artists out there just kind of faded away. Now, there is a very select group of people making music that I just can’t wait to hear more from, and Kelly Willis is on that very short list. When I heard months ago that a new Kelly Willis disc was scheduled for release, I was excited about it. When it was pushed back four months, I was even more excited to hear what the record was going to sound like.
I can tell you one thing, Kelly’s latest release, entitled “Easy,” was well worth the wait. Kelly’s signature is her voice, and it’s in great form on this record. She makes singing country music sound as easy as breathing. It’s a true natural talent that Kelly has honed over the past decade or so of her career. I remember an interview with Kelly during her last tour where she said that she liked to focus on her vocal abilities, and that she really didn’t consider herself a songwriter. Well, let me just say I was absolutely blown away to see that Kelly wrote 4 of the 10 tracks herself, and co-wrote 2 more, making a majority of the songs on the disc written or co-written by Kelly.
When Kelly does go outside her own writing to pick tunes, she likes to stretch the boundaries. There is a Paul Kelly cover “You Can’t Take It With You” which comes out surprisingly bluegrass considering Paul Kelly is an Australian rocker. She also covers the Kirsty MacColl classic “Don’t Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim!” on the record. Kelly has a way of creating a vibe with her albums that few artists can. Her albums feel like full concepts rather than a bunch of songs thrown together on a whim.
I loved hearing Kelly’s take on her husband Bruce Robison’s song “What Did You Think.” It was a perfect choice for Kelly to cover, and I know Bruce is always happy to get a cut on Kelly’s cd. When we saw him a few months back he joked about how hard it was to get a cut on a Kelly Willis record. So, if you’re a songwriter, just know that even marrying the artist doesn’t guarantee you a slot on the record!
The album closes out with “Reason to Believe” a song Kelly wrote about being a new mom. The song is one of the highlights of the record, with its simple yet haunting melody. Kelly has truly come into her own as a songwriter, and somehow continues to bring her voice to new and higher places.
Kelly Willis is an original in a business that is full of artists trying to copy the hot sound of the moment. Kelly Willis may not get a whole lot of airplay on country radio, but that doesn’t mean her music isn’t better than almost all of the stuff that country radio plays. If you like music with heart, if you like music that can move you, and if you long for a voice that can soothe the soul, you’ll want to pick up a copy of “Easy” as soon as you can. So far “Easy” has my vote for best album of the year in 2002.
Album Review by Darren O'Neill
The WOC Rating Scale |
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The album stands above the rest. This is a record that every country music fan needs to have in their collection. This album is better than the average release. A strong record with some flaws that keep it from reaching that 5 star level. This album is an average country release. Doesn't posses qualities that make it stand out among all the other albums out there. A weak record that lacks solid songs or good vocal performances. Sample before you buy. This record is a bargin-bin reject that just isn't worth the time or the money. Completely misses the mark. |