Search - Nancy Apple :: Outside the Lines

Another reviw from San Antonio

Nancy Apple | San Antonio | 01/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thumbnail: It hits dead-center of the P2 pocket. Twangs like a ..., great players, killer songs.Nancy's voice manages to drawl with natural southern beauty, unforced. Her band and she fit together like those dancers I admire so much in honky tonks - you've seen 'em too; they've been dancing together so long they know the others' move before it's ever made. Can't buy tightness like this, I think it has to occur naturally.Though she owns a sound all her own, I hear elements of Wanda Jackson, Neko Case, Marti Brom, Rosie Flores. (comparisons only beacuse I hate when someone raves about new music without giving examples of what to expect)I'm a sucker for warm ballads, and there's a killer on this disc too - Small Town Blues. Great duet with Jay Harrington, (Time For You) and killer bluesy - torchy song called I'm Here To Collect demonstrates Nancy's no one twang pony.Outside The Lines is enhanced with delightful rom data that includes a visit to her home, meeting her band and friends, lyric info, along with a short film of a live performance. This gal's a natural on camera. Hell Nancy, you should pursue acting - the camera loves you. I'm often asked to speak at various indie music (Texas Music Coalition; other groups that try to help young musicians get their music out there) meetings regarding presenting / developing product, and Nancy Apple's self produced gem is my latest example of how to do it right.If I thought this disc sucked, I'd just keep my trap shut, but dammit, this thing rocks with an honesty I thought deserved mentioning - in spades. Overall, I'd say Nancy Apple's disc is a real peach, and I predict Outside The Lines will become a permanent part of our library, which, given our space limitations, ain't a small feat.Joe X. Horn Music Director"

Downhome country multimedia funhouse

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 07/03/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Apple's second CD is both a tasty slice of poppy Americana, and quite the multimedia funhouse. In addition to fourteen audio tracks (eleven from Apple's pen), the enhanced disc opens on your PC or Macintosh desktop to provide animations, a multipage artist biography, interview and live performance video, a slideshow, song lyrics, background notes, and complete recording credits. Whew!Musically, the Memphis-based Apple combines the downhome styles of Lucinda Williams and Libbi Bosworth, the sassiness of Wanda Jackson, the hillbilly twang of Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, and the free spirited zaniness of Cyndi Lauper. And much like the latter, she can turn on a dime from humorous to heart-tugging. "If Money's the Root of All Evil" proclaims, "If money's the root of all evil, I tell ya, I must be a saint," while "Fooled by the Heart" contemplates the cliff-diving side-effects of falling in love. "My Exercise Program" details a personal approach to health in the wake of a busted relationship ("smokin', coughin', jumpin' to conclusions, stretching the truth..."), and "Shiri Shiri Naka Naka Jyoto Ne" plays upon Japanese slang for a certain female asset.Apple's band dishes up a generous helping of twang, supplemented by superb rockabilly rhythms on "Why'd You Get So Gone" and "Bears in the Woods." And though their Memphis roots provide some of the blue notes, they'd sound just as home in Texas as they do in Tennessee."