Search - Countrypolitans :: Face of My Hometown

Countrypolitans
Face of My Hometown
Genres: Country, Pop

Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
1. I Can't Stop You
2. Falling at Your Feet
3. Maybe It's You
4. After You're Gone
5. Face of My Hometown
6. Kind of Funny
7. Hurricane
8. LA Turnaround
9. Designated Driver
10. I Wanna Score
11. Faith

CD Details

All Artists: Countrypolitans
Title: Face of My Hometown
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sideburn
Release Date: 3/12/2002
Genres: Country, Pop
Styles: Americana, Neotraditional
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 669341100529

Synopsis

Amazon.com

The vaguely twangy pop on the Countrypolitans' sophomore disc has nothing to do with the layered, string-laden sound that Billy Sherrill and others brought to Nashville in the late 1960s and 1970s and for which the group is named. Yet the Portland, Oregon, quartet would benefit from a shot of the bravado that fueled Sherrill's over-the-top productions. From songs to lyrics to playing, the band is solid in every way, but never more than that. The plight of singer and songwriter Elizabeth Ames is illustrative: While her voice is unfailingly smooth and pretty, it's also a bit shallow, a little too clean, and oh-so-straight. As a result, she's unable to convincingly convey the ache of her prodigal-daughter ballad "Face of My Hometown" or the bluster begged for by the come-on anthem "I Wanna Score." --Anders Smith Lindall

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CD Reviews

More than Face Value

Harley Cowan | Portland, OR | 03/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

""...all [the] songs on their debut disc are all keepers..." said the Oregonian, and as a start, the same should be said about "Face of My Hometown." The sophomore album builds upon the foundations laid with the debut "Tired of Drowning" by offering a polished collection of well-crafted music, sporting would-be standards like "After You're Gone." But with producer/contributor Gregg Williams, the band has discovered the true potential of each of their songs. There are still the rock-solid ensemble performances that define this band. But bucking banal expectation, they have allowed themselves to experiment and develop, finding diverse, contemporary voices for traditional honky-tonk and country. Elisabeth Ames and Roger Conley would make Willie proud - lyrics are beautifully simple cutting straight to the heart (or bone). Ames is blessed with a voice full of emotion and character, perfect in its originality, perfect for country. While other bands are chasing their "influences," Ames and Conley follow the lessons of lasting, relevant music by carving out a sound of their own, a la Jennings, Haggard, Cline or Nelson. Sure to please all but the stodgiest of stat-slinging critics. -Harley Cowan"

Kind of Funny, Kind of Sad

Harley Cowan | 10/10/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Countrypolitans are in complete control of their talent. The band has sacrificed some of the retro honky tonk feel that made Tired Of Drowning such a great CD, for a grittier, slightly more rock oriented feel. But the songs are so good and the playing so enthusiastic that it seems like a natural progression rather than a band changing its sound just to keep relevant. This is a 'great leap forward' in terms of recording quality, song structure and lyrics. Elizabeth Ames is confident and brassy without ever oversinging. My biggest complaint is that steel guitar player Peter Burak has a less prominent role here.It's almost pointless to name highlights, although 'After Your Gone' and 'Kind of Funny' are really, really top notch, melancholy country pop. I've been into the whole "alt-country" thing for a couple of years now, and the Countrypolitans are as good as anything I've heard. I admire Bloodshot Records' stable of alt.country divas, (Case, Hogan, Timms, etc) but they all sound--at some level--manufactured...as in "she's got a great voice, now what do we do with her." Countrypolitans know how to get it done."