Search - Chris Wall, Reckless Kelly :: Tainted Angel

It's not often you use the word "clever" to describe country music--especially in 1998--but Chris Wall will change all of that. Wall's songs are thoughtful, provocative, and often delightfully sarcastic, but never contrived or pretentious. What's more amazing is how he can meld his lyrics to fit rousing honky-tonk and mature country-flavored ballads. Tainted Angel also markedly benefits from the support of fellow Austinites Reckless Kelly, who can be delicate and tasteful or muscular and urgent. Wall borrows equally from the Texas traditions of honky-tonk posture and progressive outlaw poetry, and his worn baritone is a suitable vehicle for his lyrical might. In Wall's world, the church, the girl, and the roadhouse bar battle for supremacy while the ranch and the highway provide refuge from all. --Marc Greilsamer