Tambourine

Barnes & Noble

Classic soul/R&B and roadhouse rock meet most engagingly on Tift Merritt's impressive sophomore effort. If her 2002 debut, Bramble Rose, positioned Merritt as a more open-hearted, optimistic Lucinda Williams acolyte, then Tambourine reveals her to be a blue-eyed soul diva in waiting. There's plenty of hard-charging rock 'n' soul here -- the relentless "Late Night Pilgrim," the soaring "Wait It Out," the furious rhythmic assault propelling "I Am Your Tambourine" -- but what rivets the attention are Merritt's forays into classic soul/R&B, complete with gospel choruses, robust horns, gospely organ, and vocals that position Tift as Dusty ascendant, and convincingly so. The blue-eyed-soul ballad "Good Hearted Man" comes straight outta Muscle Shoals, with Merritt's sultry vocal buttressed by a gospel chorus and a punchy horn section. "Still Pretending" uses a slinky R&B groove, pizzicato strings, and twangy guitar to underscore a woman's downcast lament over post-breakup wreckage. On the fanciful side, the Memphis-redolent "Your Love Made a U-Turn" employs a funky groove supported by blaring horns, whimsical organ fills, and a righteous female chorus serving Merritt's insinuating lament over a feckless lover's untoward behavior. Ah, but listen up. Amidst this groove-rich exercise comes "Laid a Highway," a folkish ballad about a once-bustling small town now on life support after a superhighway goes in, very Springsteenish in its empathy for those disenfranchised by so-called progress. The album closes on a rousing note with the infectious "Shadow in the Way," its jubilant barrelhouse piano and full-throated gospel chorus recalling the early-'70s revival-style celebrations of Leon Russell and friends. Merritt, who wrote 11 of the dozen songs here, sounds right at home, equally convincing as a belter and a balladeer, and brimming with soul that comes naturally -- a rare bird, indeed. David McGee

All Music Guide

With oodles of critical praise but disappointing commercial response, Tift Merritt's terrific 2002 debut was a qualified success. On her follow-up two years later, she gradually but decidedly moves her ringing country rock toward a more classic soul sound. With producer George Drakoulias -- who mined similar territory with Maria McKee -- providing the musical muscle, the album is an impressive accomplishment. Merritt sure has the pipes for this stirring soul/Americana music. She sings with an aching acquiescence common to country artists such as Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton, but belts out these tunes with the power of Linda Ronstadt in her prime. Drakoulias wisely places her tough yet tender vocals front and center in the mix, leaving her faceless but competent backup musicians to carry the bluesy twang she has perfected here. Dusty Springfield and McKee have both covered this ground, but on Memphis soul shots like "Good Hearted Man" and especially "Your Love Made a U Turn" with full, blaring horns and R&B backing vocals, the effect is explosive and revelatory. "Ain't Looking Closely" takes its ringing guitar straight from Roger McGuinn's Byrds days, but the meaty approach and chorus is strictly Southern. The blues that infuses "Still Pretending" adds a torchy Dwight Yoakam/George Jones approach with Merritt projecting hurt resignation on top of subtle strings and a classic country sound out of the '60s. "The Plainest Thing" strips down the backing to bare organ, brushed drums, and spare guitar, leaving plenty of room for Merritt's luxurious voice. But it's the more upbeat tracks that rule, as Merritt and Drakoulias' firm control and extraordinary sense of dynamics shoot this album into orbit. Tambourine is a remarkably mature, confident, and commanding release that defines then rides its groove with no low points. It should make Merritt the star she deserves to be. Hal Horowitz