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Kelly Willis
Easy - Kelly Willis
In 1999, Kelly Willis stunned the music world with her ambitious comeback album WHAT I DESERVE, a record that won her a new audience with fans in the Alt. Country and Americana circuit. Now, after three years away from the spotlight Kelly has returned with EASY, an album that is not only different from anything she has ever pursued, but the best music of her career.
As promised by No Depression magazine and various reviews from all corners of the web, Kelly delivers an all acoustic album with prominent traditional country influence and a tinge of folk and bluegrass. The result is astonishing--her powerful, unique voice is a perfect match for the honesty and emotion of these genres, and it is a wonder that this is a project she hasn't pursued sooner. EASY is sheer beauty from beginning to end. Songs such as "If I Left You" and "Not What I Had In Mind" follow in the footsteps of some of the best moments of WHAT I DESERVE, Kelly shows her vocal chops on "Wait Until Dark" and the utterly gorgeous "Easy (As Falling Apart)," and the talent and emotion present in "Reason to Believe" will leave you in awe of the amazing abilities she posesses. While six of the album's ten songs were written by Kyle Willis, she also showcases a number of works by other artists. Hubby Bruce Robison's "What Did You Think" and the bluegrass flavored "You Can't Take It With You" (which features guest performances by Dan Tyminski, Vince Gill, and Nickel Creek's Chris Thile) represents the album's wide variety of songs, while her cover of Kirsty MacColl's "Don't Come the Cowboy With Me, Sonny Jim" is the true highlight of the album. Every song present on this musical gem is sheer perfection in every way possible.
Easy
Amazon Price: $11.98 (as of 12/01/2009)
1. If I Left You
2. Easy (As Falling Apart)
3. What Did You Think
4. You Can't Take It With You
5. Getting To Me
6. Don't Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim!
7. Wait Until Dark
8. Find Another Fool
9. Not What I Had In Mind
10. Reason To Believe
One of the year's best! ( August 21, 2002)
With the O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU soundtrack sitting at multi-platinum states, and traditional country making a comeback, it seems that EASY couldn't have arrived at a better time. With Kelly's amazing voice, the powerful musicianship of both her and fellow performers, and the project's acoustic flavor, the album is easily the highlight of her career. If you are a fan of Kelly, traditional music, or music that is just plain great, buy this one now, or miss out on one of the best albums this year has produced. -- Kori Frazier (Kent, OH United States)
Kelly Willis Biography
Kelly Willis joined her first band in high school. Her boyfriend, drummer Mas Palermo, introduced Willis to his rockabilly band. The band took her on as the lead vocalist and soon rechristened the band Kelly Willis & the Fireballs. After Willis' high school graduation, the band decided to move to Austin, Texas to participate in the vibrant Austin music scene. After a few months in Austin, however, the band broke up. Willis and Palermo, married in 1989, formed a new band called Radio Ranch. In Austin, Willis attracted the notice of several influential Texas singer-songwriters including Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett. Griffith introduced MCA producer Tony Brown to Willis. Brown was very impressed with Willis' vocal abilities and signed her to the MCA label in 1989.
MCA embarked on a big marketing campaign to tout Willis after she recorded her first album on the label, the 1990 album Well Travelled Love. MCA ensured that Willis was interviewed by several national magazines including unusual venues like Vogue and Mademoiselle. Her voice appeared in the 1991 Ridley Scott-produced movie Thelma and Louise, singing "Little Honey." Willis also had a small part in Tim Robbins' 1992 film Bob Roberts. Despite of all the publicity and positive reviews from most reviewers, Well Travelled Love and Willis' subsequent albums for MCA (Bang Bang in 1991 and Kelly Willis in 1993) sold modestly and received very little radio play. During this time, Willis felt uncomfortable with the way she was marketed by MCA. In 1994, MCA released Willis from her contract.
Willis continued to pursue her music career after leaving MCA. In 1996, she recorded an EP for A&M Records entitled Fading Fast. However, her relationship with A&M was short-lived; after working with two major labels, Willis decided to record her next album on her own. Her efforts resulted in the 1999 album What I Deserve, which Willis sold to Rykodisc after finishing the album. What I Deserve received quite a bit of press after the album's release. It was commonly seen as Willis' response to her history with MCA, and was uniformly praised by critics, becoming a hit for Willis.
In 2003, Robison and Willis released the record Happy Holidays, a cover album of Christmas songs. Starting in 2005, Willis and Robison appeared in television and radio commercials for the anti-allergy product Claritin.
Kelly Willis (born October 2, 1968) is an American country music singer-songwriter, whose music has been described as contemporary country, alternative country and new traditionalist.
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