Album Notes

The Austin Chronicle

April 11, 1997

TRISH MURPHY
CROOKED MILE (RAVEN)

In the discovery process, you'll find the pretty goods, awfully bads, acquired tastes, and guilty pleasures. Trish Murphy, however, you can file under the rare heading of "immediately likable." At first, half the appeal is the southern accents that punctuate her voice - itself singularly capable of soothing while still being sturdy and confident. And it's the natural sway 'n' twang of that voice that could've put Murphy in that uncomfortably clunky gray area between pop and country. Rather than get stuck in English murk though, Murphy deflects the issue with compromise: quirky country narratives and smart pop choruses. As such, "Boiling Water" and "Scorpio Tequila," the album's diverse centerpieces, somehow use that equation and Murphy's voice to defy traditional labeling - whereby the worst you could call them would be "AAA radio naturals." Better yet, the bulk of the material here qualifies as good singer-songwriter material, the type that laymen can hum and the kind you'd imagine older and wiser colleagues like Emmylou Harris or Lucinda Williams lining up to sing. And while producer David McNair no doubt deserves the credit for Crooked Mile's overall fluidity, it's clear that the subtle phrasing, witty word-turns, and sharp characters are all Murphy; components it takes to deliver the scarce debut that's both substantive, and yes, immediately likable.

-- Andy Langer