While
Shannon McNally's 2002 debut
Jukebox Sparrows had promising stretches, it also opted too much for middle of the road, adult-ish pop/rock. 2005's
Geronimo arrives via Back Porch, a Capitol boutique imprint that also carries mature acts like
the BoDeans and
Chip Taylor and
Carrie Rodriguez, so there's an adult quality to this one, too. But it's a huge step forward stylistically, punching up the country influences and humid barroom swagger that simmered beneath
Jukebox's too-clean surface, and letting the smoky ends of
McNally's syllables linger over the warmth of acoustic guitars, standup bass, Hammond B3, and pedal-steel. The title track has a great, mournful echo about it, like
Paula Frazer's songs, and her laconic cover of
Bobby Charles' "Tennessee Blues" nods to the record's New Orleans recording sessions. (Not to mention
the Band overtones coursing through most of it.) The urgent "Hard Way" has a
Little Feat feel, and "Leave Your Bags by the Door" is the album's tender moment, a dusky love theme awash in pump organ and
McNally's hushed delivery. It also features some of her strongest lyrics.
McNally really has something with
Geronimo. It's a record of a piece with peers like
Shivaree, because
McNally understands that pain, mystery, and storytelling aren't part of a formula. ~ Johnny Loftus