Liz Longley
Liz Longley
(Sugar Hill)
Liz Longley came out of Boston’s Berklee College of Music a few years back, and immediately began drawing comparisons to Shawn Colvin, Natalie Cole, and Nanci Griffith. She doesn’t really sound like any of them, and that will be just fine with anyone lucky enough to hear her. Longley sings with all the power of a youthful pop star, but she knows the difference between presentation and pyrotechnics. You’ll hear those whispery tones female country singers favor these days, but also delightful catches, full-throated soaring scales, and lower-register grit. She’s handy with the pen as well, which means that Ms. Longley is the real deal.
Longley’s new Sugar Hill release is aimed at making her mark in Nashville. There are songs on this record that are just about as good as songwriting gets. “Skin and Bones” has an Appalachia with ominous undertones feel evocative of David Olney; “We Run” is an inspirational pop/rock anthem in honor of a cousin she lost to 9/11. (Longley also performed this song for the Boston Strong campaign.) Then there’s her confessional “Bad Habit,” an anti-tribute to a bad relationship that should have ended sooner; and “This Is Not the End,” another honest take on not being able to let go.
But all pale compared to “Memphis,” another song about something that may or may not be ending, this one dished out with a warning. Longley frames it in a memorable tune and about as much raw emotion as a body can take without choking. I’d declare this Longley’s breakthrough album were it not for a gnawing suspicion it’s over-produced. I’ve heard most of these songs in Longley solo performances at the Parlor Room, and I prefer those versions to the album’s slick studio processing. Whether you will or not depends upon how you feel about Nashville records aimed at country/pop audiences. But remember the old adage about gilding and lilies? Liz Longley is a rare lily indeed, so maybe it’s best to dispense with the gilt.•
—Rob Weir
