Erin McKeown – Grand (Nettwork America) Released: 15/09/03

Erin McKeown is making quite a name for herself as a songwriter, and her third album is a great addition to her body of work.  She turns her attention to pop, rock, dashes of bluegrass and show tunes in fourteen exquisitely crafted tracks.  Opener Slung-Lo is jaunty, strutting pop par excellence, while the smutty music hall of The Taste of You sounds shocking coming from such a sweet voice.

It’s the attention to detail that sets these songs apart, and makes her work reminiscent of the likes of Randy Newman and Aimee Mann.  The lyrics are where this album excels, and from song to song Erin shows she has the capacity to be serious one minute and devilishly light hearted the next.  With so much on offer, pinning the best tracks down is a tough job, but there is more than enough here for everyone to have a go.