Search - Pam Tillis :: Homeward Looking Angel

Strong second Arista effort

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 04/09/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"During her early music career, Pam Tillis experimented with pop, rock, new wave, and even disco. Inevitably, she found her way back to her country roots (her father is country legend Mel Tillis) and created one of the best country debuts of the '90s with 1991's distinctive Put Yourself In My Place. This 1992 follow-up sounded just as confident and fresh, yet impressively offered a different sound, a rarity in the formulaic world of modern country music.Tillis' high-pitched voice is an acquired taste worth acquiring. WIth repeated listening, her unique vocals become endearing and eventually bewitching. The quality of her songs (five of which Tillis co-wrote) is never in doubt: each of the enclosed tracks are original and entertaining. "Cleopatra, Queen Of Denial" is a clever play on words and is still about as fun as country music gets. The first single, "Shake The Sugar Tree" is almost as imaginative in its warm plea for more love. The ballads on Homeward Looking Angel may not be as infectious, put they provide quite a few poignant moments, particulary "Love Is Only Human," which effectively paired Tillis with Marty Roe of Diamond Rio, and the spinetingling "Let That Pony Run" (my all-time favorite Tillis recording).Unstable romantic relationships are the predominant theme on this album. Yet each track offers a different take on this theme and, as in real life, provide varying resolutions."