The Lucky One (HighTone, 2000)
Christy McWilson
Reviewed by Michael Berick
Maybe it's because McWilson sings all leads (unlike on Picketts' albums), but her singing seems dynamic here. Likewise, her writing projects a more personal feel, with lyrics often dealing with the struggles to be resilient in the face of life's circumstances.
Obviously helping matters too is Dave Alvin's crackerjack production. Aided by a virtual army of all-stars (including REM's Peter Buck and Mike Mills, Old 97's Rhett Miller and Alvin vets Chris Gaffney, Rick Shea and Greg Leisz), Alvin has fashioned McWilson with crisp arrangements occasionally dressed up with some well-chosen adornments (like the Tex-Mex flavored "Today Is Yesterday's Tomorrows"). This is an album that sounds good on first listen and gets stronger thereafter.
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