Tift Merritt was hailed as a major new talent when her alt-country styled debut Bramble Rose emerged in 2002, even being put forward as a successor to the magisterial Emmylou Harris, as is the way with press hyperbolae. But rest assured, she does have a landmark voice that can shift through the gears from Joni Mitchell pure and ethereal to Lucinda Williams tough and gritty. Tambourine in 2005 won several country/Americana award nominations, including for a Grammy, despite stretching the customary slack definition of 'country' with its rock'n'soul leanings. That direction may have been influenced by producer George Drakoulias (Black Crowes, Jayhawks, Tom Petty, Maria McKee, Primal Scream) and he is back behind the desk here, though this latest offering had an elongated international gestation. At the end of her last European tour Merritt took time out to chill for a couple of months in a Paris flat with only a piano and the odd baguette for company. As might be imagined given those circumstances, the new album has more of an acoustic foundation than Tambourine, and is her “most personal record to date”, finding her more plain spoken and introspective. With a collection of songs committed to paper, Merritt relocated to the famous Laurel Canyon for recording in LA.The opening brace of tracks are good songs, but produced as stereotypical US country radio fodder. And there lies my only problem. After the undeniable sugar rush, you are left feeling a bit emotionally short-changed. A quick YouTube search revealed some fantastic clips of Merritt performing solo at a hometown(ish) record store event in North Carolina. Here her voice is exposed and wonderful - sometimes frail, but also full and raw as required. More a folk singer, feelings rise to the fore of each song and she appears as a great talent. On the album, for example, 'Broken' is swathed if not swamped in that glossy Tom Petty 'Learning To Fly' guitar sound. It's just too formulaic and she suffers a loss of individual character because of it. Luckily, the guitarists take a hike for the piano ballad 'Another Country' and Merritt takes centre stage. It's not entirely captivating, stumbling with a weakish chorus, and those overly-slick guitarists do steal in for the bridge, but the full emergence of her sexy vulnerable voice is enough to win my attention back. Again, check out YouTube for an even better live version.'Hopes Too High' is a lilting mellow tune strummed on acoustic guitars that preserves the alt-atmosphere, but the opening bars of 'Morning Is My Destination' herald the return of the anonymous rock treatment to once more detract from a nice vocal performance. While she can be raw, Merritt never quite has the lung power to bellow and roar to overcome that kind of backing, as Maria McKee could. Merritt's voice is more gentle, as nicely demonstrated on the low-key sweet and shuffling 'Keep You Happy'; hence the Emmylou references. The next trio of tracks see a dip in interest, not bad as such, just tainted by being generic: in the styles of crossover-country, blues, and rock respectively. The Stax groove and Memphis horns of 'Tell Me Something True' are a departure for this album, but it never rises above the level of a decent Jools Holland Band workout. Rescue comes in the form of 'Tender Branch' - the horns stick around for this restrained ballad, and even the lead guitarist seems mercifully less polished. Restrained is the key word again - freeing Merritt to shine with her delivery. The first lyrics to reference observations of life in Paris emerge there, but that influence finally becomes clear in the chanteuse finale 'Mille Tendresses', being delivered entirely in French. Despite the schoolgirl pronunciation (not saying I'd be any better, but I can tell when I hear it), it has a soothing vibe and brings the album softly to a close, whereupon I ponder on my overall impression.I am left believing that, whether intentional or not, this album panders to the country radio masses and songs are dragged down by the smooth production sound. She doesn't seem to want to be some kind of new Shania Twain (OK, that is being a bit extreme for effect), and though I have heard enough to be interested in seeing her live and keeping half an eye on future releases, Tift Merritt will keep my interest much more by laying bare her heart than waving a vaguely rocky fist in my direction. She needs the strength of her convictions to plough a lonelier artistic furrow. Then might Emmylou have a worthy successor. 66%Links Tift Merritt [myspace] [official site]