Editorial Reviews

On her seventh CD, blues-rocker Christine Santelli shows off her stylistic versatility with a varied program that includes a couple of excursions into country, a nod to New Orleans, a strange and carnivalesuqe number, and plenty of straight-up roots rock. The focus here is on her voice, which is interesting: at its best, it's a dark, smoky, and richly textured instrument, while at its worst it can be almost painfully scratchy and raw. Santelli's songwriting is grittily mature, and on highlight tracks like the sultry "Guilty," the softly gorgeous "Brown Haired Girl," and the straightforward blues-rock of "Sparrow," the vulnerability of the lyrics and her intimate vocal delivery come together perfectly. Her sidemen are also worth noting; Tim Tindall's basslines are self-effacing but utterly perfect on "Butterfly," and Brian Mitchell's barrelhouse piano adds a very nice swamp-boogie element to the title track. "Calgary" is built on a minimal and lovely arrangement that showcases Santelli's voice at its roughest, an effect that detracts from the song in a few places, and the album-closing "On the Farm" sounds almost like a Hee Haw parody. But for the most part, this album is a solid roots rock winner. Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

• Listener Rating: