KYLIE AUSTIN
Where You Been
Redneck Woman – I Can’t Be Bothered – Don’t Come Back –
Independence Day – All Jacked Up – Where’ve You Been – Jackson – Drink
Myself Single – Where The Boys Are – Oklahoma Swing
I’ve had the extreme pleasure of reviewing some
of Kylie Austin’s country music before. This New Zealand ‘authentic’
Honky-Tonk country artist sure has her ‘mind’ on the right note.
Everything she does is extremely well done country music done in the
‘right’ way to be authenticated as ‘country’ music. She has a very
self-assured voice that DOES what it’s supposed to do when singing
‘real’ country music. The musicians, having such a good time recording
this album, is not listed on the CD cover insert, but let me tell you,
Kylie Austin ‘knows’ what she needs to back her excellent voice. There’s
a fiddler on this session that really ‘tops’ it for me. All of it is
super good and strong as steel. Mike McCarthy is the producer and
master mixer in the final stages. He has done a remarkable job keeping
the ‘authenticity’ in this really nice production. Kylie also has a
gift of ‘picking’ the right songs for her voice, The first track out
“Redneck Woman” couldn’t have been done any better. Kylie does several
numbers with Trevor Stevens joining in with a fine male voice. “Jackson”
is an exceptionally well done version of the great Cash/Carter hit. A
little bit faster perhaps, but that famous ‘Cash’ tempo is there, and
it’s great. We also hear Stevens on another good ‘country’ song
“Oklahoma Swing.” I thoroughly enjoyed this entire album, even “Where
The Boys Are” even though I wouldn’t call it a definite ‘country’
version or arrangement. Still, it shows what Kylie can do with her
magnificent voice. I can’t help repeating what Gray Bartlett (a New
Zealand legend in his own right) wrote about this CD. “There is no
doubt that sometimes a fantastic jewel of a performer remains just below
the surface, but alongside the very top talent in our music world.
Such a talent is Kylie Austin. A remarkable brilliant and uplifting
vocal star.” I couldn’t agree more. I will be sending this CD off to
the Rural Roots Music Commission. I’m pretty sure what they are going
to say about ‘CD of the Year.’
RECORD REVIEW BY: Bob Everhart, Pres., National Traditional
Country Music Assn. www.music-savers.com for Country Music News
International