Ms. Villalobos has a great rock ‘n’ roll voice - it has hard, rough edges and a core soft and gentle enough in which to wrap the tenderest and frailest of hearts. Add to that genuinely fine and self-written and self-produced songs and all signs point to an artist to be reckoned with.
The album superbly mixes country-influenced rock and heart-warming balladry. ‘Not Enough’ struts and preens. ‘What I’d Give’ trips around Jesse Malin territory but without the chest-beating bombast that he tends to favour. ‘Fooling Around’ has a gritty and sensuous vocal performance that soars into a joyous celebration of, well, fooling around. ‘I’m Alright’ has a lovely country feel and an irresistible hook that’ll get you every time. ‘Trying To Find You’, with just acoustic guitar for accompaniment, sounds bruised and pained. Similarly, album closer ‘Can’t Come Down’ oozes a longing for ‘something’ - “I got ten million trucks of nothing / I just gotta find a place to put my nothing” but with a chorus that roars with defiance and ‘won’t be beat’ attitude.
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Overall, there’s perhaps a filler or two too many, having the effect of diluting the total impact but otherwise a very commendable debut album.
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