Acoustic singer-songwriters are so thick on the ground these days that it can take a real force of effort to listen to one more. We've all made the effort before and been burned, granting a half hour of our scarce attention and being rewarded with tuneless, meandering chord progressions and lyrics that range from pretentiously abstract to maddeningly solipsistic. Well, trust me: this one's worth the effort. Tamara sings with a voice that's light but not wimpy, a little like a cross between
Shawn Colvin and
Mary Chapin Carpenter, and she writes songs that pull you in by virtue of smart lyrics that never settle for mere cleverness and tunes that pull you along by the hand. "Oscar & Bud" is a touching ode to the two brothers who share an apartment in her building and have followed her career with paternal affection; there are several songs that discuss sartorial issues, one of which is the thoroughly charming and subtly seductive "2 Dresses"; best of all is "Cool Blue & Rolling," a flat-out declaration of romantic bliss (and you thought only Cindy Kallett could write happy love songs!). These last are balanced out somewhat by "Your Mother Hates Me," which is rather brutal for all of its coolness of delivery, and "I Wish My Apartment Building Allowed Dogs," which is a barely subtle allegory. All of it is tight, tuneful and wonderful to hear. (The disc is self-produced; for more information, e-mail
[email protected].) ~ Rick Anderson