Women of Country - The Internet's #1 Guide to Female Country Music

Album Review

Tammy Cochran
Life Happened
Epic Records

Tammy Cochran managed to turn some heads when the track “Angels In Waiting,” from her debut album made its climb into the top ten. In fact her debut album contained all the qualities of a star in the making. Her massive voice would let her completely over sing every song she touched, yet she didn’t. Tammy seemed to be keenly aware of how to use her voice to bring the most out of each song. The quality of songs picked for that album were consistently pretty strong, the production was tasteful, and she managed to keep her music sounding country while still keeping a modern edge. That’s proven to be very hard for most artists to accomplish. It was with great interest that I put Tammy Cochran’s sophomore album Life Happened into my stereo for a listen.

The first thing that hits you is that effortlessly powerful voice that Tammy has. The album opens with “Love Won’t Let Me,” an upbeat country rocker that Tammy’s vocals soar over. It would be a good single.

This album almost feels like a concept album, walking through the entire life cycle of a relationship. The opening track tells the story of that initial fall into love and then Tammy belts out “Wanted,” where she sings about just wanting to be wanted for who she is and nothing more. By the middle of the record things have taken a turn for the worst with “White Lies and Picket Fences,” one of the stronger tracks on the album where things just don’t quite turn out the way she planned them. You eventually hit the single “Life Happened.” It’s a strong story song, something we don’t get much of in country music anymore. On “I Used To Be That Woman” Tammy tells the tale of another woman working her way towards a heartbreak that Tammy’s already been through. It’s a classic country tale and it works well again here.

The whole story of the album flows so well from one song to the next that you would think that they had planned it from the beginning, even though that wasn’t the case.

One oddity exists on this record; if you wait for track number 11 you will find “If You Can,” an absolutely stunning pure country torch ballad, which was the show stealer of her last album. Why it appears here again I have no idea. But the fact that the song hits you as hard the second time around indicates just how strong that tune is. It would have been nice to have another new track instead of tacking on a song that fans who own her first album already have. But it is a nice extra for people just getting acquainted with Tammy’s music.

Life Happened is a strong sophomore album. I didn’t find myself enjoying it as much as her debut album but both records are stronger than the new material we’ve heard from big names like Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and Lee Ann Womack over the last couple of years. If you haven’t heard Tammy Cochran yet you owe it to yourself to get to know this artist more. She might never experience the huge commercial success that the pop crossover acts find but she should be applauded for keeping her artistic integrity and recording a solid modern country record with a classic country heart.

Album Review by Jeff Krasky

The WOC Rating Scale

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.