DAVE'S DIARY - 12 JULY 2005 - SUNNY COWGIRLS
THE
SUNNY COWGIRLS
A LITTLE BIT RUSTY (COMPASS BROTHERS-SONY-BMG)
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The
Clabburn sisters grew up near Hamilton in the guts of the Western
Victorian wool and wheat belt and honed their agrarian amore as jillaroos
near Gunnedah in northern NSW after driving their ute from Perth. They sound like a couple of grouse sheilas who could arm-wrestle a platoon of dance dudes and corporate chappies into the dust at the drop of a dag from all of ewes. Now, I have always chosen country girls ahead of fashion fed city heifers but draw a line at having my ears assaulted by female derivatives of John Williamson. |
Luckily, the Sunny Cowgirls, not to be mistaken for the Toe Sucking Cowgirls, don't wallow in Willo's woe for all their debut disc.
Most of Sophie
Clabburn's seven originals are credible pen pictures of life beyond the
smog and traffic.
They sing of shearers' sidekicks in Rousy's Life, hanging onto
the family farm after divorce and drought in Holding On and love
of sorts in That's What It's Like, the title track, Country
Flirting and wry word play in Advance My Spark.
| But
Country Lovin' Cowgirls - is just a little too heavy on country
clichés - and corn is too thick on revamps of tired tunes I've
Been Everywhere and Sold. Exhuming Flowers On The Wall and Folsom Prison Blues is a waste of studio talent such as Ian Simpson on banjo, dobro and pedal steel, Greg Bird on piano-mandolin and fiddler Eric Kowarski. There's a fine line between joyous celebre of an artist's rural roots and self-parody - living down cloying cornography is a fate the duo should be careful to avoid. Further Info - http://www.compassbros.com.au/ |
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