Tammy Rogers

Nashville’s most in-demand session fiddle player not only unleashes her seasoned songwriting ability on this release, but she’ll lay your soul to waste with her angelic singing voice as well. Falling somewhere between Shawn Colvin and Aimee Mann — with a John Boy-cum-Tennessee innocence, Rogers' clear, crystalline voice recalls Karen Carpenter's at times. The intimate nature of her compositions, and her fragile, passionate tone suits each song like an old friend. Her main instrument takes second fiddle to her voice on this release, but her voice is the most pleasant of surprises. Each song is buttressed by an exceptional squad of Nashville’s finest but, under Rogers' influence, their contributions transcend stereotypical Nashville slickness, catapulting each composition into a world where texture is everything. Each intricate arrangement only compliments all 13 largely self-penned originals. Having played on almost everything to come out of Nashville, the favours are returned with cameos by Buddy Miller, Victoria Williams, Kim Richey and Emmylou Harris. But the central star of this project can only be Rogers's sweet voice, her accomplished musicianship and her powerhouse collection of overwhelming songs. Compulsory listening should be the Beatlesque "Rescue Me", but such a graceful assembly of songs deserves your complete and undivided attention.