Ride (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Shelly Fairchild (vocals); Dan Dugmore (acoustic guitar, steel guitar, lap steel guitar, dobro); John Willis (acoustic guitar, banjo); Dan Tyminski, Darrell Scott (acoustic guitar); Kenny Greenberg (electric guitar, resonator guitar); J.T. Corenflos, Tom Bukovac (electric guitar); Rob Ickes (dobro); Tim Hensley (banjo); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); David Davidson , David Angell (violin); Kristin Wilkinson (viola); Anthony LaMarchina (cello); Pat Buchanan, Mickey Raphael (harmonica); Jim Horn (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Steven Herrman (trumpet); Chris Dunn (trombone); Steve Nathan (piano, Wurlitzer piano, Hammond b-3 organ); Larry Paxton (bass guitar); Chris McHugh (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Chip Davis, Curtis Wright, John Wesley Ryles, Ashley Cleveland, Stephony Smith, Wes Hightower, Liana Manis (background vocals).

Shelly Fairchild is young, pretty, and sassy, everything that a mainstream country singer should be in the mid-2000s, at least in marketing terms. If that's all that she was, she'd be the equivalent of the crass Keith Anderson -- a good-looking empty space, eager to shill for anybody who looks his way -- but Fairchild has a powerful, bluesy voice and a genuine charisma on record that makes her 2005 debut, Ride, a pretty cool little record. She's not immune to a lot of the trends of modern country -- in fact, she's not a Shania-styled diva, she's a creature of the post-Gretchen Wilson world, where female singers are encouraged to be a little rowdy, have some twang in both their voice and music. And while she indulges in a little bit of name-dropping associations -- just like how Wilson knows the words to every Tanya Tucker song on "Redneck Girl," Fairchild listens to B.B. King, Merle, and "Free Bird" on different tracks -- she's far removed from Big & Rich's calculated, gonzo hucksterism. Instead, with the assistance of producers Buddy Cannon and Kenny Greenberg, that mildly wild spirit is channeled into a disciplined Nashville production that's canny enough to keep Fairchild loose and lively, and have the music be just as vigorous. It's well-crafted, built upon a strong set of songs, and it pulls off the nifty trick of being classic Nashville product yet fresh and vibrant, due to Fairchild's consistently engaging performances. The result is a fun, infectious first album that, like Miranda Lambert's similar debut, announces the arrival a potentially major star. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Like many so-called "overnight sensations," Shelly Fairchild chalked up years of performing experience before hitting the Billboard charts with her Columbia Records debut, RIDE. The one-time star of the Patsy Cline musical ALWAYS and a veteran of several other Broadway touring productions, Fairchild developed an enviable stylistic adaptability and a voice powerful enough to reach the cheap seats. These qualities serve her well on RIDE, an album chock full of both gusty country-rockers and gentle, earthy ballads. A Mississippi native, Fairchild has an obvious love for the blues, as evidenced by the swampy, Bonnie Raitt-like phrasing on "Kiss Me" and "Down into Muddy Water." "Ready to Fall" is a fiery song set to a stomping Waylon Jennings-inspired beat. The album's standout track, however, may be "Eight Crazy Hours (In the Story of Love)," an existential, angst-laden tale of a lonely woman's life-defining day, delivered with a deep sensitivity that is unusual for a debut artist. Diverse and mature, RIDE is an excellent first effort from this promising performer. minimize