No More Rain/Kasey Lansdale

I bought this CD at the World Fantasy Convention from Kasey Lansdale her ownself, and now that I’ve had a chance to listen to it all the way through several times, I can report that it’s really, really good.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, maybe some sort of country/pop crossover like the music of Faith Hill or Shania Twain. A few of the songs lean that direction, but for the most part this is pure, traditional country, mostly up-tempo and mid-tempo songs with a ballad or two mixed in. Kasey has a fine, strong voice and sings these songs with the ease and confidence of someone who’s been in the business a long time. Her talents aren’t confined to singing, though, as she also wrote five of the ten songs included here, including the title tune. I don’t know enough about music to comment on the technical aspects of anything . . . but I’ve been listening to country music, off and on, for more than forty years, and this is good stuff.

During the weekend of the convention, Kasey and her band opened for the legendary Ray Price and from what I heard got a standing ovation from the audience. I’m sure it was well-deserved.