Jeri Southern's second Decca session strips her music of pretense and artifice in favor of an unflinching honesty that crawls deep under the listener's skin. With its austere rhythmic backdrops and melancholy textures,
The Southern Style casts a stark spotlight squarely on
Southern's intimate vocals, and she responds with some of the most deeply felt performances of her career -- the nuance and depth she invests in songs like "One Day I Wrote His Name Upon the Sand" and "I Don't Know Where to Turn" are nothing short of remarkable. This is a record made for and by adults, articulating emotions and delineating experiences lost on the young. ~ Jason Ankeny