Tift Merritt - Tambourine

On Tambourine, Tift Merritt not only plumbs the history of country, she also dabbles deftly in soul, R&B, rock, and folk. Listening to this album is like putting your record collection in alphabetical order, only to realize you're more diverse and knowledgeable than you knew. Likewise, Merritt is all over the place on this album, but the songs cohere into a single artistic statement marked by consistent craftsmanship and passionate performance.

The remarkable thing about this album is that while each song can easily be traced to a specific influence, not a single song sounds derivative. At times, Merritt sounds like Dusty Springfield (Still Pretending), other times like Bonnie Raitt (Late Night Pilgrim), and at other times like Sheryl Crow fulfilling her latent potential (Stray Paper). This album, however, is not a pretentious attempt by Merritt to prove her impeccable influences, this is a portrait of an artist coming into full bloom, using bits of the past to forge a creative future.

On loan are Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench from Tom Petty's Heartbreakers, Jayhawks' frontman Gary Louris, and steel guitar master Robert Randolph. Also in tow is producer George Drakoulias, whose past clientele includes such rock legends as Tom Petty, the Black Crowes, and the Jayhawks. - Michael Franco (Pop Matters)

Listen to samples:

• Stray Paper
• Wait It Out
• Good Hearted Man
• Ain't Looking Closely
• Still Pretending
• Write My Ticket
• Your Love Made A U Turn
• Plainest Thing
• Late Night Pilgrim
• I Am Your Tambourine
• Laid A Highway
• Shadow In The Way