Where I Belong

1	Days Like This 3:08
2	Me And Emily 3:41
3	I'm Gonna Get You Back 2:48
4	Strong As An Oak 3:36
5	Shame On Me 3:31
6	If That Chair Could Talk 4:20
7	If You're Gonna Leave Me (Leave Me Alone) 3:56
8	Didn't I 3:28
9	So Close 4:31
10	We Did It Our Way 3:37
11	Where I Belong 3:52

Barnes & Noble

Already a successful songwriter -- having penned Martina McBride's Top 10 hit "Where Would You Be" -- Rachel Proctor makes an impressive debut as a recording artist on Where I Belong. The West Virginia native has a big, strong voice with a bit of a twang, a bit of the bluesy huskiness that's served Tanya Tucker and Deana Carter so well, and a veteran's sense of dynamics and nuance in her phrasing. Like Tucker and Carter, she favors a sound that's built on country fundamentals but also incorporates a rock 'n' roll energy. There's meat on the bone relative to the songs, too -- whether co-written by Proctor or created by other writers, these tunes speak to important subjects. "Me and Emily" is an intense, mid-tempo rocker limning the hard road of single parenthood. "Strong as an Oak" is a solid country ballad in which a weeping willow and an oak tree are the metaphorical symbols of a woman's journey out of a loveless marriage into self-sufficiency, with a mesmerizing gospel-style chorus. "We Did It Our Way" is a Springsteen-style rocker about a "couple crazy kids" who build a loving life together by disdaining conventional rules and taking the road less traveled. An infectious, fiddle-driven stomper, "Shame on Me" lightens things up a bit with its lustful, naughty confessions and a soaring modulation in its hooky chorus. A surefire dance hall favorite-to-be, "If You're Gonna Leave Me (Leave Me Alone)" is an incendiary, R&B-flavored kiss-off song that showcases a sassy side of Proctor's on-disc persona. Impressive, all of this, and reason enough to keep close tabs on Rachel Proctor. David McGee

All Music Guide

The success of Martina McBride's smash single "Where Would You Be" brought the Nash Vegas music-making machinery back to the door of its writer, Rachel Proctor. Proctor had been slogging it out on the fringes of Music City for close to a decade and had been rejected by nearly everyone, before McBride's hit brought the focus back to the singer/songwriter. Where I Belong is her debut offering, and was produced by Chris Lindsey. There are 11 songs here, six of which were co-written by Proctor. The set is a jaunty blend of modern country styles, delivered by a fine singer who can handle anything they put in front of her. But it's in her own songs, loaded at the front and back of the disc, that the real magic happens. The opener, "Days Like This," with its ringing 12-string guitars and punched-up drums, could have been way overblown if it weren't for the rootsy, no-nonsense romantic exuberance in her vocal. When she sings "Ain't nothin' better than a long lingering kiss...," the listener can feel there is experience and optimism in her words. The shift in focus on "Me and Emily," which shares an intro with Marc Cohn's "Walkin' in Memphis," showcases Proctor's mettle as a lyricist. In this tough-as-nails tale of a single mom who is rambling -- on the move away from a dead-end life with an abusive husband -- with her young daughter sleeping in the back seat, the conviction in the grain of her voice brings to bear all the weight placed on the protagonists' decision. It's tough, believable, and full of brittle truth and that glimmer of hope that makes country songs of any stripe special. The honky tonky revenge of "I'm Gonna Get You Back" is predictable, but also believable. The shimmering guitars and whip-crack snare on "We Did It Our Way" signals the beginning of a midtempo ballad that erupts into a country-rock anthem. In sum, this is a very respectable debut by an artist who arrives fully formed, strong, confident, and committed -- in other words, in it for the long haul. Since she's already borne the brunt of Nash Vegas' polite yet creepy inhumane rejection and never surrendered, Where I Belong is her time to begin smelling the roses. Recommended. Thom Jurek

Entertainment Weekly

Think of her as Martina for the Gen-Y set, with McBride's over-the-top delivery replaced by kitchen-sink realism. (B) Alanna Nash