Lucy Billings

Arizona-born, California-based singer-songwriter Billings released a well-received debut album, Open Air, back in 2006. She comes up with a solid sophomore effort here, with the assistance of producer/multi-instrumentalist John Jennings (Mary Chapin Carpenter) and a cast of top-notch players, including fiddler Stuart Duncan and pedal steel ace Lloyd Maines (Dixie Chicks). Billings has a clear, unaffected voice and an introspective songwriting style. Based on a real life incident, "Daddy's Last Drive" is an album highlight, along with the sweet, gentle "Blue Highway." "Rear View Mirror" and "From The Bottom Looking Down" deal with lives affected by recession, but, given their subject matter, both songs could have benefited from a little more aural grit or passion. No Other Road is a consistently polished and pleasant record, one sure to win Billings fans on the folk circuit.