CD Odyssey Disc 993: Nikki Lane

I’m in my first hockey pool in many years. I idiotically picked way too many Boston Bruins so I probably won’t win, but at least I won’t have divided loyalties while I’m watching the games.

Speaking of which – Boston wins our opener 2-1! 15 wins to go…

Disc 993 is…Highway Queen

Artist: Nikki Lane

Year of Release: 2017

What’s up with the Cover? This looks like a country farm version of that iconic moment in the movie Titanic. Instead of shouting “King of the World!” I assume Nikki will shout “I’m Queen of the Highway!” Or maybe she’s trying to get that steer to move. If so she should get some help, or find a smaller steer.

How I Came To Know It: I liked both of Nikki Lane’s earlier albums, so when I heard there was a new one out I checked it out on Youtube. I liked it enough to buy it as well.

How It Stacks Up:  I have three Nikki Lane albums. I like all of them about equally and for slightly different reasons. “Highway Queen” feels a bit more mature – particularly in vocal delivery – but it is also a bit too mainstream. Because I like the more genre bending elements of her earlier efforts, I’m going to put it at number three. It is still a solid record and just as good as earlier efforts, just a little different.

Ratings: 3 stars

After two very bluesy alternative country albums, “Highway Queen” finds Nikki Lane driving a bit more down the middle of country. There are still flourishes here and there that demonstrate she’s more than just a run-of-the-mill Nashville country act, but she embraces Nashville sounds more than she has on previous albums.

Despite the many bad things I’ve said about new Nashville music, “Highway Queen” shows you can use these sounds in a way that is interesting. While Lane walks dangerously close to the line of Nu Country, she never tips over into the obvious. If anything, she shows that there are ways to use these melodic structures and “yeehaw!” attitudes and still make interesting music.

The opening track, “700,000 Rednecks” comes perilously close to going wrong. It is a catchy song but it also feels like it is trying just a little too hard for a hit. However, after this the album settles into some up tempo country classics, with just the right touch of rock and roll to let you know Lane hasn’t lost her edge.

The album has a celebratory feel. Despite some songs that are clearly reflective of broken hearts and bad decisions (this is country music, after all), it is clear that Nikki is having a good time, and happy to bring us along for the ride.

“Jackpot” is a Las Vegas song of excess telling one of the records several bad relationship songs, but it is done with such joie de vivre you get the sense the journey wasn’t all bad. As Lane admits, “life ain’t been too hard/Since you ran away from me.”

“Companion” shows Lane’s willingness to stretch the genre, ending with a doo wop chorus that would fit on some bubble gum hit from the fifties. It is an homage to an earlier sound, skillfully updated for the present. Later “Send the Sun” has a seventies a.m. radio feel that shows you how that swaying, finger-snapping beat (minus actual finger snapping) from the fifties translates well into styles twenty years later and into the present day as well. Listening to these songs I got the strong impression that Lane understands and respects the music that came before.

“Big Mouth” is a great “keep my name out of your mouth” song, with a rolling rock riff and a defiant Lane making it clear that she doesn’t enjoy the rumours some gossipmonger has been spreading about her.

The girlish vocal delivery present in some songs on earlier records is mostly gone as well. Lane’s voice on these songs remains playful where it is called for, but there is a worldly wise quality and a willingness to finish each line with conviction that lends the gravitas to these songs that they need.

The production decisions are also solid, if a bit obvious. The instruments are nice and even in the mix. While there isn’t anything special, Lane and co-producer Jonathan Tyler seem to understand that their job is to stand back and let the songs work their magic.

The record ends strong, with a couple of somber tracks, “Muddy Waters” and “Forever Lasts Forever.” The latter song is a heartwrenching tale of love gone wrong, with some classically country twists of phrase, like:

“The only ring left on my finger

Is a lighter shade of skin”

The album is only 10 songs and 36 minutes long so it doesn’t take long to feel like it is an old friend. This is a solid effort from an artist that deserves a lot more credit than she’s getting from the Nashville establishment. Not being recognized by them is more of a badge of honour anyway.

Best tracks: Highway Queen, Big Mouth, Muddy Waters, Forever Lasts Forever

CD Odyssey Disc 742: Nikki Lane

Happy day! My annual holidays have arrived!

I have other holidays through the year, but the week I take off in June is the one that is all about me, where I get to relax, recharge and generally fill my days with my favourite activities. I got started last night with some beers with my friend Tom, and now I’m going to write this review before meeting my lovely wife for lunch. Life is good.

Disc 742 is….Walk of Shame

Artist: Nikki Lane

Year of Release: 2011

What’s up with the Cover?  Behold, Nikki Lane and her giant head. Those deep blue eyes draw you in, but not as much as the back of the album:

Ah, the walk of shame in all its glory. Nikki is embarrassed by that unseemly tear in her pleather dress, but what she should be ashamed of is the album’s copy editor who has spelled her song “Look Away” as “Look Awtay”. There’s nothing shameful about walking home after a fun night out, but spelling errors like that? That’s just wrong.

How I Came To Know It: I read an article about her in a music magazine Sheila bought me for my birthday, and I decided to check her out on Youtube and see if I liked her. I did, and bought her 2014 album, “All or Nothin’”. Digging deeper I found out she also had “Walk of Shame” so I ordered it on Amazon, after a few months of fruitless searching at the local record stores.

How It Stacks Up:  If you’ve been reading along carefully, you’ll know that I’ve got two Nikki Lane albums. Of the two I prefer “Walk of Shame.” It just has a bit more punch than “All or Nothing.”

Ratings: 3 stars

“Walk of Shame” strays dangerously close to ‘new country’ multiple times, and I could have very easily found myself hating this record. Fortunately, Nikki Lane stays just on the wrong side of the tracks, which is where I like my country music.

The song structures are heavily influenced by the evils of Nashville, with Taylor Swift-like chord progressions in places that had me yawning. Don’t get me wrong, Taylor Swift is a gifted songwriter and your 12 year old daughter could do a lot worse for her first record. It just isn’t my cup of tea.

Fortunately, Lane’s music has an edge to it that kept drawing me in. The songs are very grown up for a songwriter right out of the gate. When she sings about the “Walk of Shame” it is funny for sure, but it is clear that song is more about triumph than shame. Nikki got lucky, and if there is a bit of awkwardness on the walk home, it was worth it. The refrain of “won’t do it again, won’t do it again” on the chorus is funny because it is clear she will. In the hands of a different singer, this song could be exploitative, but again Lane straddles that line without ever going over.

There is an air of rebellion throughout the record that goes beyond the usual “girls just want to have fun” vibe that you get from more obvious country singers like Gretchen Wilson or more recently Carrie Underwood.

“Gone Gone Gone” is particularly appealing, matching the chugging train bass beat of a Johnny Cash song with a bluesy collection of minor chords that would be at home on a Blue Rodeo album. These minor chords underscore how badly small town girls with big dreams need to get the hell out of town. It’s true for small town boys too – take it from one who knows.

The album has touching songs as well, including the touring track “Coming Home to You” which is a pretty little love song and “Come Away Joe.” “Come Away Joe” is a sister song to “Gone Gone Gone” with a soaring, hopeful quality, maybe because it is always easier to get out of town when you’ve got company on the trip. You get the feeling though that Lane will leave without Joe if he decides to not come away.

Not appealing is Lane’s cover of Muddy Water’s “I Can’t Be Satisfied” which has been so new-countrified I didn’t even recognize it at first. The cheesy guitar strums stripped the grit out of the  song and replaced it with that kind of empty yeehawing that you get from acts called things like “Big and Rich.”

Lane is a bit restricted by her voice, which doesn’t have a lot of power. Her coquettish singing style masks this most of the time, but occasionally she sound too affected and pulls you out of the song.

Special kudos for keeping the record tight at only 10 songs and 32 minutes total playing time. There isn’t a lot of chaff here, and the songs were clearly chosen with care.

Best tracks: Walk of Shame, Coming Home to You, Gone Gone Gone, Come Away Joe