Laura Cantrell
No Way There From Here
Thrift Shop Recordings
by David Chiu
It’s been almost a decade since Laura Cantrell released an album of all original studio material, but with No Way There From Here, the wait was worth it. It’s probably the Nashville-born, New York-based singer’s best work to date for its traditional country music sound. Aside from Cantrell’s lovely voice and the superb musicianship of the backing players, it’s the songwriting that stands out from the melancholy tones of ballad tracks like “Barely Said Hello” and the lush title track; to the romantic and optimistic of spirit of “Starry Skies,” the self-assertive “Beg or Borrow Days,” “When It Comes to You” (a perfect Valentine’s Day kind of song) and the album closer “Someday Sparrow.” Hopefully it won’t take another 10 years for the Radio Thrift Shop Proprietress to put out a new record, but No Way There From Here is enough to keep us satisfied for a while.
NewBeats 