Nashville Scene / Never Be
Most songs about Johnny Cash focus on his image as a rebel, a hell-raiser or a tortured seeker of universal truths. But McRae, a Mississippian residing in New York City, finds a new angle. She wants to love someone the way Cash loved June Carter. That may sound cheesy, but McRae turns it into a layered meditation on what matters in life. McRae's earned a budding reputation in arthouse clubs like Manhattan's Knitting Factory and The Living Room by forgoing irony and sarcasm, instead exploring the modern experience with a refreshing directness that finds freedom in living and loving ethically and honestly. She breaks past the usual sensitive singer-songwriter limitations with a booming, R&B-influenced voice and by augmenting her acoustic instruments with sweet, quartet-style harmonies and soulful touches of organ and accordion.
by Michael McCall
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