Information/Write-up
Linda's soaring, honest vocals hold nothing back. She nails a song to the wall. This gifted singer/songwriter/musician and holder of 3 platinum albums, plays clawhammer banjo, acoustic guitar, accordion and porchboard, combining old-time sounds with universal themes of heartbreak & redemption offering an intriguing sepia postcard from the past that is vibrant and alive in the present.
Emmet Matheson, No Depression - The way McRae delivers the hard-knock facts of life smacks more of deliverance from, rather than resignation to, disappointment. Hoot and Holler is as close as alt/country gets to Peggy Lee. McRae's warmly powerful voice is the bedrock of this album.
Produced by Gurf Morlix
Cryin' Out Loud, the sophomore release for Linda McRae and Cheerful Lonesome, is chock full of confident songwriting and excellent musicianship. I'd expect no less from someone who spent eight years with fellow West coasters Spirit of the West. During that gig, McRae wrote enough material for her debut solo album Flying Jenny. Now, we find her with a great backing band and more tuneful melodies. Her voice, however, doesn't have the dynamic range to fully sweeten many of the songs. While "Put the Hurt Back in the Bottle" and "These Are The Things" do well with McRae's warm, comforting vocals, "Momma" and "Girl With No Tomorrow" require more highs than she can deliver. However, she sings best when accompanied with harmonies, as with "Strength, Hope, and Love" and "Falling Off the Face of the World". Still, Linda McRae is a great songwriter and is definitely a shining light in Canadian country music.
Carol Harrison, Dec 01, 2002, exclaim.ca
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