Translated From Love
With her vocal twang and timbre, Kelly Willis will never sound anything but country.  Even so, she's long been adventurous in her choice of material, and her first release in five years is her most expansive to date, as collaborations with producer/guitarist Chuck Prophet and songwriter Jules Shear (who also provides backing vocals) bring a freshness to her signature style.  Half of these cuts could have fit on a previous Willis album; the other half wouldn't have fit on any of them--yet somehow they all fit together.  The biggest surprise is a cover of Iggy Pop's "Success," with an arrangement that channels the Sir Douglas Quintet's Vox keyboards (with the Gourds contributing to the call-and-response).  Other twists include the propulsive pop lilt of "Nobody Wants to Go to the Moon Anymore," the touch of Phil Spector girl-group grandeur in "Don't Know Why," the Chuck Berry guitar and gender reversal of "Teddy Boys," and the hint of Van Morrison's "Brown-Eyed Girl" in "The More That I'm Around You."  With results that transcend category, Willis sounds like an artist renewed.--Don McLeese