SHERRY RICH – DAKOTA AVENUE

If you aren’t the biggest fan of country music then Dakota Avenue might be a good way to ease yourself into the water. Despite listing as ‘pop’ under genre in iTunes, Rich’s album is named after the very street where she wrote the songs in Nashville, the Holy Land of country music. While there is a little less twang than the atypical country colour the album does plod along with a country pace, and yes, a banjo might appear in a track or two. Recorded between 1999 and 2001 Rich’s low and mellow vocals meander across the album, accompanied by a changing mix of strings, electric guitar, organ, and occasionally that banjo. 41 Going On 17  is the main perpetrator, but the banjo is well-balanced by smooth backing vocals. The sassy energy of Bad Day is thickened with the billows of an organ, holding a driving rhythm only too appropriate for line dancing. Meanwhile the sentimentality of Hotel Song offers a hint of soul, tinged with a wizened sadness. Pandora Mink also manages to push forward with a little more energy than the collective pedestrian tempo of the album. The husky alto of Rich’s voice combined with her light country sound make this an amiable album, but not much more. **