The Fallen (Reckless, 2000)

Audrey Auld of "Bill & Audrey" fame has come into her own.Her solo outing is self-produced, self-released, largely self-penned and unequivocally self-assured.

Auld lives in rural New South Wales, Australia, with partner Bill Chambers - founder of the legendary Dead Ringer Band and father of Kasey Chambers, Australia's hottest country music export of the moment. The classic country stylings here belie Auld's antipodean roots. If anything identifies her as Australian, it's the gutsy charge of her voice which would lay out any true-blue Aussie bloke in a Saturday night barroom. When she hollers, "You can shove it," you better believe it.

Yet this same remarkable voice is just as effective as a vehicle for grief and loneliness. Auld carries her arduously honest lyrics with both grace and regret; her rueful but unwavering delivery drives home the album's imagery of the "fallen woman" - wiser, a little repentant maybe, but unbroken. Auld reveals herself to be an astute producer, and she commands some stellar musicianship from Michel Rose (pedal steel), Bill Chambers (guitar, dobro and harmonies), Stuart French (guitar) and Michael Vidale (upright bass). Dale Watson also drops in for a guest duet spot on "Jackson." (E-Mail: audrey@recklessrecords.com)