Brigitte DeMeyer is one of many singer/songwriters working on the edge of the commercial scene in the post-millennium, stylistically somewhere between folk and country. With her potent vocals and country-folk musical palette,
DeMeyer has appeal to fans of alternative country (she even covers
Steve Earle and
Buddy and
Julie Miller here) and soulful blues singers like
Bonnie Raitt and
Toni Price on
Something After All. Despite her talent,
DeMeyer's dilemma is how to stand out in a crowded field of singer/songwriters who cover similar material in a similar way. One of the nice things about
Something After All is its strong material that benefits from a sense of popcraft. It isn't that songs like "Honey Darlin'" sound like pop, but that
DeMeyer -- borrowing a groove that could've come from an early
Little Feat album -- knows how to write a good hook and keep her songs tuneful. With the help of a couple collaborators here and there, she smartly keeps most of her songs under four minutes, writes singable choruses, and doesn't use the same flavored arrangement from song to song. To keep things interesting, she also throws in a duet with
Buddy Miller on "You Wrecked Up My Heart" and includes a couple of nicely delivered ballads.
Something After All is a finely wrought country-folk album. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.