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In his short story Billy the Kid, Steve Earle spun the tale of a fresh-faced kid who arrived in Nashville with a handful of brilliant songs, cut a stone classic album, scored a record deal most musicians would give their eye teeth to get, and married the girl of his dreams, all in a few weeks before cruel fate caught up with him. While one can only hope the powers that be have a more generous final act planned for Tift Merritt, listening to her first album, Bramble Rose, is a reminder that such things could possibly happen in the real world. If Bramble Rose is a bit short of perfect, it leaves no doubt that Merritt is already a talent of the first order. As a singer, she has a simply gorgeous vocal instrument (imagine the passion of Lucinda Williams and the real-world twang of Iris Dement fused with the silky beauty of Emmylou Harris), and her songs are nearly as impressive as her vocals. At 27, Merritt's lyrical perspective speaks of the often-unfortunate twists and turns of fate, but without bitterness or spite, and she can jump from the wistful sway of "Virginia, No One Can Warn You" to the R&B-influenced bite of "Neighborhood" and back to the classic weeper style of the title cut without missing a step or ever sounding less than committed or convincing. Merritt also has the good fortune of having a superb backing band who support her songs with grace and impeccable taste, and producer Ethan Johns gets this music on tape with a sound that's at once intimate and comfortably wide open. It's difficult to imagine that an artist whose previous recording experience amounted to one self-released 45 and a split EP could turn in an album so strong and well-crafted, but it's even harder to imagine that listeners are likely to hear many debut albums nearly as good as Bramble Rose in the final six months of 2002, and by all rights this should be the first offering in a long and successful career for Tift Merritt. ~ Mark Deming
Recorded at the Sunset Sound Factory, Los Angeles, California.
Entertainment Weekly (6/7/02, pp.76-7) - "...The songs show some serious talent, while her remarkable voice, more pristine, in fact, transcends the merely pretty..." - Rating: B Mojo (Publisher) (8/02, p.100) - "...Nice stuff..."
One of the best new artists!!! Bramble Rose is one of the overall best new albums I have heard in quite some time. Tift Merritt has an absolutely beautiful strong voice that complements both her song-writing and her backing band. It is somewhat hard to classify this album into one category as it is alternative country, pop, and a bit of blues. The recording is clean and crisp and her band is solid throughout. I look forward to her next release and to a concert tour. Submitted by zweygardtlaw (Oskaloosa, KS, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Very promising Tift Merritt has a wonderful, refreshing sound. Very impressive that she has written all songs on this album. I look forward to her next production, and, hopefully, there will be one. Submitted by a reviewer (Austin, TX, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
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