Another Way to Live (Hearts of Texas, 2010)
Amber Digby
Reviewed by Robert Wooldridge
Texas honky tonker Amber Digby's fourth release is a mix of effective originals and nicely chosen classic country covers. Digby co-wrote three songs, including the haunting Soul Survivor, the tale of a woman who perseveres after getting trapped in an abusive relationship ("She had a baby when she was twenty/By a man she couldn't stand/And to stay there in that Hell wasn't in her plan"). Less tragic are the more traditional weepers about lost love Lie To Him and After It Breaks.
Among the more impressive covers are a pair of duets with guitarist Randy Lindley on Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton's Just Someone I Used To Know and Jim and Jesse's Please Be My Love.
In her liner notes, Digby identifies I'm Not Your Kind Of Girl as a song demoed but not released by Reba McEntire, passed along to her by songwriter Glenn Sutton after he heard her previous work. Other standouts are Willie Nelson's One Step Beyond and Mel Tillis' There Must Be Another Way To Live.
Produced by Justin Trevino along with Digby and Lindley, this is an entertaining traditional country collection.
CDs by Amber Digby
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