When she was singing and playing guitar in
the Ettes,
Coco Hames was a garage rock firebrand, able to melt plastic with her guitar and knock the birds out of the trees with her voice. On her self-titled solo debut, she opts for a calmer approach. Working with co-producer Andrija Tokic, who had famously helmed albums by
the Alabama Shakes and
Hurray for the Riff Raff,
Hames delves into a kind of burnished Americana that's equal parts classic country weepers, downhearted girl group melodrama, and sad rock & roll ballads. A couple tracks have a little bit of
the Ettes' garage crunch, but mostly
Hames threads her magnificent voice into songs that are melancholy and restrained. The one-two emotional gut punch of "When You Said Goodbye" and "Do I Love You" starts the record off in stunning fashion.
Hames' vocals are honey-coated and vibrating with deep feelings, the words are tear-stained and true, and the musical backing fits like a well-designed glove. If the album stopped right there, it would have been too short and completely perfect. To go along with these two instant classics, there are a handful of comparably lovely songs, like the sultry "If You Ain't Mine" and the subdued nocturnal ballad "You're Calling Me," that match
Hames' vocal strengths with some inventive musical backing and soft hooks. ~ Tim Sendra