Looking Back to See (Reckless, 1999)

Where do you go for real country music these days? Would you believe Down Under? This debut release from Austrailian duo Bill Chambers and Audrey Auld is a collection of classic country duets that would make Porter and Dolly or George and Tammy proud.

Bill and Audrey have impressive credentials in Austrailian music circles, with Bill winning multiple awards as a songwriter and performer with the Dead Ringers. They initially joined forces last year to form a Hank Williams tribute band, and their collaberation led to this project.

Produced by Bill's son, Nash Chambers, the 14 songs are a mix of country classics and originals that display the duo's familiarity with different periods of country. The original "Sugar Daddy" and Jimmie Davis' "You Are My Sunshine" take us back to the fifties. Originals "Honky Tonk Fool" and "Losing Side of Love" could have easily been chart toppers from the sixties.

Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris' influencwwwe in evident on "Kiss the Children" and "We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning." Other highlights include a humorous remake of "It Was the Whiskey Talking, Not Me," a recent Jerry Lee Lewis tune, and "Road of Regret," an original reminiscent of Robin and Linda Williams. With Nashville having turned it's back on the music and artists of the past, Bill and Audrey prove that real country music still transcends time and geographical boundaries.