Based loosely on the them of leaving Western roots behind and making a new home in the East, City Girl is a collection of country-tinged folk tunes that range from nostalgic to fun.

15 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Country Folk, FOLK: Gentle



Details:
Take a cattle rancherâs daughter from the West Coast of the US, add university degrees in literature and music, transplant her to New England and youâll end up with a singer/songwriter with a unique musical voice. Influenced by Janeâs background in traditional country, Appalachian folk and Gospel music and nurtured by the Boston folk scene, City Girl is a collection of well-crafted, literate songs of love â found, lost, and remembered.

The title track, âCity Girlâ, uses vivid imagery to relate the oft-told story of youthful migration from country to city: âShe loves the smell of the new-mown hay but figures sheâll be on her way. Sure as the sun sets in the West, sure as the red dust swirls, deep in her heart she knows sheâs a city girl.â

The tribute to things country continues in the lovely waltz, âTime After Timeâ as the lyrics overflow with nostalgia for the past but appreciation of the new as the âpast it unwinds into soft, silver twilightâ of memories with âthe long, long ago blending like water and wine with the here and the now.â

Most of all, the tribute to her Dad makes a tongue- in- cheek contrast between cowboy wannabeâs and the real thing in âHe Deserves The Hat.â

Finally âSomewhere West of Boiseâ chronicles a trip home to a high-school reunion that accurately portrays the tentative ambivalence of visiting that place where we are âalways seventeen.â

Janeâs literature background can be seen in the lyrical balled âHis Faceâ which retells an ancient myth, and âLoverâs Hellâ which borrows from Shakespeareâs âOthelloâ for the recurring tragic refrain that sympathizes with those âwho love not wisely but too well.â

A beautiful acoustic guitar/vocal arrangement (by Steve Rapson) of the traditional âThe Water is Wideâ is a nod to her folk roots, while the jazzy, upbeat âForbidden Fruitâ winks an eye at original sin and temptation as portrayed in the story of Adam and Eve: âEve was a girl who could be tempted â too bad it wasnât tax-exempted.â

Wrapping up the album, âThe Right Roadâ is a deceptively upbeat tune with a downbeat message, âIf It Matteredâ a sweet ballad that is a mother-lode of figurative language, and âWhichever Way The Wind Blowsâ a country rocker that sends a cheatinâ man packing!

In addition, the CD has 3 bonus tracks that were recorded live and are humorous takes on eating bugs, ignoring the environment, and learning to golf.

City Girl was produced by Seth Connelly who produced Lori McKennaâs first CD and features the talents of Steve Sadler on Dobro, Leo Egan on pedal steel, Valerie Thompson on cello, Steve Gilligan on bass, and Doug Boutchard on drums as well as Seth Connelly on piano, guitar, and bass. Jon Swenson and Phil Knudsen add harmony vocals.