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 Caught in the Carousel "There will be music despite everything"
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Audra Mae
The Happiest Lamb
SideOneDummy Records
Between her buttery voice and her witty, biting lyrics, Audra Mae's debut is a catchy mix of a modern singer-songwriter giving homage to '50s country-pop standards. She has one of the most compelling voices I've heard lately—a warm, rich tone, unadorned by pyrotechnics, but all the more effective because of it. Her vocals are a cross between Shirley Bassey, Bonnie Raitt, and Dolly Parton. Her phrasing is haunting and brilliant, like she regrets slitting your throat, but really, you brought it on yourself. Hard to believe this is her first CD; then again, given her musical pedigree (she's the great-niece of Judy Garland), maybe one shouldn't be surprised. She penned the lyrics to "Who I Was Born To Be," a single on the CD from Britain's Got Talent's Susan Boyle, and her cover of Dylan's "Forever Young", used in HBO's Sons of Anarchy, is even more impressive. The Happiest Lamb has tremendous depth: the sassy title tune, the observant "Millionaire," the confessional "The River" and "Lightning in a Bottle," the tragic "Sullivan's Letter" and "Smoke," the ferocious "Bandita," and the cautionary "Little Sparrow." The Happiest Lamb is sharp and dazzling, and really—I'm sure she's sorry about the bloody mess.
—Lyn Dunagan
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