Let's Put the Western Back in the Country
Joni Harms established herself as Western music's preeminent female vocalist in the 1990s. For anyone hoping to understand the current dichotomy between Western and Country, her bracing opening title track explains it all. Harms may have used Nashville A-Team session musicians, but their playing is looser and more individualistic than it would be if they were backing some producer-controlled platinum act. "I've Got a Feelin' for You" has a '40s swing feel that is but one facet. Nearly every number, each co-written by Harms with various collaborators, reflects Western and ranch ethos. Her flair for storytelling drives the tragic mini-drama, "Coyote Café," and the ode to perseverance, "Cowboy Up." "We Work It Out" and "The Wind" continue that level of excellence; Harms falters only on the contrived "Louisiana Hot Sauce." While her confident voice and knack for writing quality commercial material ("Shape of My Heart" and "Love Never Hurt Nobody") merit wider exposure, one suspects that, like most Westerners, Harms prefers doing it her way, not Nashville's. For that we can be grateful.--Rich Kienzle