Winner of Country Album Of The Year for the 19th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards, Tequila Time sticks to traditional fiddle-heavy alcohol lovin’ and technology hatin’ anthems like Boy Do We Drink and Modern Life. The drums sounded canned to me; maybe too clean because the engineer and drummer shared the same role in the production which seemed overdone on tracks like the Bon Jovi-esque Get Out Of My Way which threw in every percussion tool from chimes to tambourine.
Despite this, the album is distinguished by a deviation into the Americana genre, and this is where the sounds should definitely be explored more. The not purely traditional pop country sound is where this album excels and exceeds expectations. The stronger songs on the album emphasize the production and appreciation for a variety of musical instruments including lap steel, a Dobro, accordion and violin. This would be a great band to see live.
My favorite tracks on the album include Fillin’ Station and Cheetah On The Run, both sharing an almost samba rhythm joined by accordion, Spanish guitar and hand percussion. I also enjoyed Ain’t Done Nothin’ Wrong with an old lap steel thrum and Dixieland bounce. Vocally Natasha’s voice has been compared to Janis Joplin and Kim Carnes, but I thought she sounded more like the contralto of Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie.
