Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson
Rattlin' Bones
Liberation


Kasey Chambers' last album, 'The Carnival', was somewhat all over the place. Bordering on rock, and with the faux dance pop track Surrender, it lacked cohesion and probably didn't keep many of her old fans happy. More tellingly it showed that Chamber's distinctive vocal style was not cut out for that style of production.

However, with 'Rattlin' Bones', produced by brother Nash and hubby Shane Nicholson, Chambers has found her voice across the 14 tracks. The musical focus is on pedal steel, banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle and upright bass, creating a vivid soundscape. If this all sounds somewhat Appalachian or Ozark Mountains "hillbilly" sounding, that's because it is. Washing over this extremely interesting palette of sound are two sets of vocals that sound oh so at home, Kasey's tone fitting in wonderfully to the mids and highs, while Shane's fills in the bottom.

But what about the material you ask? Well, nine were co-written , the balance either by Kasey or Shane and not a dud is there to be found within.

The title track is a lament of the perils of temptation and redemption with a floor tom providing the back beat to an insidious bluegrass riff. There is also plenty of melancholy too, with One More Year and No One Hurts Up Here. And if you want a tree-change song, there is none better than Jackson Hole, which if you have any empathy for the bush, will have you itching to grab the swag, load up the car/ ute/ 4wd and get outta here! If, and it's a big if, a track was to be plucked for airplay, make mine the quirky uptempo Monkey On A Wire, which makes no sense to me but is, as are all of the tracks, somewhat addictive and very easy to sing along to.

As was the case with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on the outstanding 'Raising Sand' and local duo The Yearlings on the also brilliant roots/alt-country 'Highway Dancing', it's the blending of quality harmonies, combined with exceptional musicianship that stands out.

Mark Liebelt