You have to admire a woman, who, for the cover photos of her latest album, went and hired an original Nudie suit. You know the type Ð glitz, sequins, and enough rhinestone flash to blind. Greta Lee did just that. However, it wasn't any crumpled hangin' off-the-rack sparkler. This suit was a fashion blitz previously worn by Hank Snow. The hiring wasn't about following the fashion herd, though. Rather, it was a statement about joining future possibilities to the stylish memories of the past. But, then, Greta Lee has always been about style. We nailed it in our review of her debut album a few years back, when we said, "Although Greta Lee is undeniably country, an alternative sound can be heard throughout the entirety of This Ain't Over Yet. Some have said that her singing is comparable to others, such as Rosanne Cash and Lucinda Williams, but, after hearing her for ourselves, we believe she has a more unique appeal, a style simply known as Greta." You Must Be Present To Win, her latest release on Let's Roll Records, is an 11-track style grenade. The album explodes with the talented force of a woman who knows her mind, follows her heart, and writes convincingly with heart-etched conviction for all to share. For the former Atlanta-based singer/songwriter, who now resides in Nashville, this album goes a long way to meeting the aim expressed in her biography. That aim? One of realizing her vision of a "real" country record. And "real" is a tag worn well here. Lee is no country wannabe template. On the 11 tracks, ten of which she wrote, her voice is a sounding wall for emotions and moods that carry the album through some of life's stormiest territories. Plugged in to a twang-driven and energetic band, which includes her longtime regular guitarist and album co-producer Jon Byrd and other session luminaries, along with noted steel player Pat Severs (co-producer), Lee proves her talent is as bold as her rented Nudie. The album kicks from the opening track. "Throwing Punches" is a revealing defiance from this University of South Carolina economics graduate who considers Haggard an idol. Into the cavity created by a juicy lead guitar riff and driving drums, Lee pours her heart into a tune telling of anger and the distance created by complicated emotion. Lee's voice, shaded with the memories of powerful, almost forgotten female country talents, continues with lonely sadness, while wringing the emotion, beautifully, out of "Got No Reason Now For Goin' Home". "Once I had every reason a girl could want/for going home and makin' love/and now I don't/so I end up in here each night/sittin' and thinkin', missin' him and hurtin' so and drinkin'" are some of the lyrics which color the ache on this honky-tonk lament. The album continues its rich vein of following the hurt and ache of misplaced love with tracks like "Feel It Too". Lee's drawl, honed out of a South Carolina childhood, pines over her wish for shared, but neglected, feelings. The track slowly engages, then it claims, for some of us, memories of shunned love and lost possibilities. Lee is a vivid writer. Her talent lies in the well-crafted words of her songs Ð and the experiences offered by her astute observations of life's fragile moments. Her guided lyrics mine for feelings and touch emotional chords while drawing the listener, willingly, to enjoy the openness of her disclosures. Tunes like "I'm Still Waiting" with its emptiness of one-sided love. "Good As It Gets", with its tarnished acceptance of second prize, trails into the lover's betrayal of "Can't Believe". The autobiographical foundations of "Carolina" shape its melodic honesty and appeal. Revelations tell of a longed for wish to escape the predictability of home, only to discover the inevitable later in the piece Ð there is no place like home. The imagery painted by Lee's vocals and the moodiness of softly shuffled drums and lightly picked guitars makes the song a blended chemistry completing a satisfying album. Greta Lee is a tunesmith of considerable talent, with an engaging style and a vocal confidence that makes this a winning album. It's unbelievable that men in dark Armani suits bearing gold-nibbed contract-signing pens haven't swamped her. This is a gem of an album. It sparkles, it attracts, and it pleases with its individual sense of style and fashion. Just like a well-worn Nudie |
