Album: Not The Tremblin' Kind
Artist: Laura Cantrell
Born: Nashville, Tennessee
Released: October 2000
Genre: Country
I'm sure like many Brits, my introduction to Laura Cantrell's music came courtesy of John Peel. Not only is Cantrell a talented musician, but for a long time she was a radio DJ (like John Peel) on WFMU, hosting a weekly country music and Americana show called The Radio Thrift Shop. According to Peel's autobiography, Margrave Of The Marshes, Cantrell and her band did a session at Peel Acres in 2002, after which they all stayed up until 4am, with Peel putting on obscure records and challenging Cantrell to perform them. No doubt she did so with aplomb; she's one of those rare breeds, who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of her craft and the talent to play the music too. The turn of the century brought about a real revival in country music, with great albums from Lambchop (Nixon), Ryan Adams (Heartbreaker), Wilco (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot), Emmylou Harris (Red Dirt Girl) and this one. Not The Tremblin' Kind's title track opens the album, and is a powerful feminist statement ("It's so bright, yet I'm not afraid to stand my ground / 'cause you'll find that you're never gonna break me down") and a great track too.
What I love most about Cantrell's approach is the refreshing sincerity and honesty in her songs. There's no artifice, none of that affected "down on the ranch" form of Nashville music. Queen Of The Coast is one of Cantrell's own songs (there are four out of twelve on the album), which has a beautiful and mournful steel guitar sound and flamenco-sounding acoustic flutters. Pile Of Woe has more of a country rock sound, and beautifully poetic and uplifting lyrics ("But I'm looking out for rain in every grain of hope I sow, plowing this pile of woe"). One of the highlights on the record is Two Seconds, with its stunning plucked acoustic opening and my favourite vocal performance, especially the refrain, "And your hand upon my wrist, why don’t you send me a line / 'cause I’m almost certain, that I’m going crazy". Many of the songs mine familiar country territory -- heartbreak (Do You Ever Think Of Me?), longing (My Heart Goes Out To You), drinking (The Whiskey Makes You Sweeter), life on the road (Churches Off The Interstate) -- but Cantrell brings her own unique spin on matters. She continues to make wonderful music, No Way There From Here (2014) is a recent favourite, but this album remains a modern classic.
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