Holley's fourth album (her second for Yep Roc) finds her taking a different path. Her previous albums, including 2001's Claire Holley, were crafted studio projects, recorded with Squirrel Nut Zippers producer John Plymale. Holley's observational prose and alt-country/pop arrangements garnered favorable comparisons to Emmylou Harris. The down-home, slice of life storytelling is still in place on songs like "Playground," but Holley's bright voice is now backed by a meaty live band featuring producer/bassist Steve Graham, who occasionally throws some devilish roadhouse grit beneath Holley's angelic soprano and gently rolling acoustic guitar patterns. "She walks up to the counter in a ragged old sweater, smells like a dog been lying in the sun," sings Holley on "6 Miles to McKenney;" the sights and smells give us a place riding shotgun on her road trip.
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