Press releases make for interesting reading. For instance, we learn that Amy Lashley is an “emotional misfit” who “panics in small rooms”. That’s the kind of thing that causes trepidation amongst us reviewers as, underneath all that sarcasm and hatred, we are all likewise sensitive souls. The question at hand therefore was whether or not Ms Lashley’s album “Travels of a Homebody” would turn out to be twelve tales of introspection and inner torment.
And the answer? Actually, “Travels of a Homebody” turned out to be an album possessed of rare charm and also one with undoubted commercial appeal. It’s a curious thing but despite all the songs being the work of Ms Lashley, I would have sworn that I had heard many of them before. I’m not talking plagiarism either more a remarkable ability to imbue a song with familiarity. Take “Old Man Don” as an example. Listen to it and you would think it must have been written by Harry Chapin. “Who Am I Kidding” – spiced with Shad Cobb’s fiddle – is surely an modern take on some obscure western swing song. As for “Night With No Moon”, it is so radio friendly that it must be the work of some high end Nashville hack but no, they are, one and all, from Ms Lashley’s own pen.
Ms Lashley, in her own understated way, has made a peach of an album here. There’s enough country in it to keep fans of Americana happy but underpinning it is a seriously smart singer songwriter playing her “A” game. I can see this album becoming an old friend.