Whiskeytown is dead. Long live Whiskeytown! After the demise of North Carolina's infamous entry into the alt-country sound before their final album was released in 2001, the members went their separate ways, though at that point they really numbered only three: Mike Daly, Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary.The band was infamous for line-up changes, conceivably because Adams was so hard to get along with and was doing his absolute best to burn the band before they got too big. In press releases for his debut solo release, he commented that he felt too much like just the rhythm guitar player in Whiskeytown, one of the reasons he lost interest in the project. In truth, he wrote most of the songs, was the lead singer, and was really the only part people mentioned in reviews. It was Cary who was virtually ignored and deserving of more attention. And finally, with this debut LP on Yep Roc, following an EP last year, she gets it. Cary has a lovely, simple voice, with no histrionics or grasping at straws involved. She knows her range and she soars in it. Here, she records her songs written with Daly and others, on her terms. And what good terms they are. The album features an impressive cast of rotating players and alt-country favorites, including former Whiskeytown member Skillet Gilmore, former Jayhawk Jen Gunderman, and former Squirrel Nut Zipper Ken Mosher. All over the release, Cary shows herself as competent a songwriter and performer as Adams, though she chose to stick with the alt-country sound rather than cloud the water with multiple influences and genres as Adams did on "Gold." Song after song posesses what you want in a great country record: strong players, hummable melodies, memborable lyrics, and a confidence that you can taste. It's great to hear Cary get her due on this release, and to hear a closure to Whiskeytown. A bonus disc, included with the first pressing, includes a duet with Adams on a song they wrote together, a Whiskeytown live favorite. Here's hoping this release finally lets Cary be judged on her own strengths.
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