Kelly Willis didn't get recognized outside the No Depression crowd until her 1999 release What I Deserve. But the time she spent toiling on the Austin scene for years prior in various bands honed her songwriting skills and focused her approach to her craft. Her warm-honey rock and twang hybrid may have been difficult for her label to market in the beginning (this might best be explained by perusing the covers of her first few albums), but it's always been an easy sell to her fans.
If What I Deserve was Willis' knock at the door of success, Easy (2002) marked her arrival as a top-notch alt-country artist. The disc — featuring a little help from Vince Gill, Nickel Creek's Chris Thile, Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski of Union Station, and The Faces' Ian McLagan, as well as her husband singer/songwriter Bruce Robison — reflects her growing confidence as a songwriter.
Translated From Love, Willis' 2007 album, was produced by Austin mainstay Chuck Prophet and elegantly embraces a bit of everything: Rolling Stones-ified country, lonesome lap-steel guitars, hints of rockabilly and Motown, swaying Moogs and B-3s, the Tosca String Quartet and prime Nick Lowe-ish sensibilities. The seamless collection of songs, many written by Willis with Prophet and Jules Shear, are some of her most comfortable to date. And who says country music doesn't have a sense of humor? Check out the delightful take on Iggy Pop's "Success" (backed by The Gourds) tossed in for good measure.
Provenance: Lawton, Oklahoma, but she grew up in Washington, D.C., and she lives in Austin now.
Latest release: Translated From Love (2007)
© 2007 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Kelly Willis
