Search - Trailer Bride :: Smelling Salts

Haunting, seductively sloppy, texas style folk music.

lbeebe1@lsu.edu | Baton Rouge LA | 12/29/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The lead singers voice has a sexy, messy quality that sounds all natural, not self conscious or too pretty and feminine which plagues so many female folk singers and alienates listeners who like an earthier, more soulful sound. The supporting musicians are minimal but essential and tie everything together with strong bass sounds and lead guitar. Actualy, the sound is simple but there's a crew of tallented people playing. There are layers to the music that you can pick through with your ear. The lyrics are funny and sad, I hope some of them are not true stories like Bruises for Pearls for example. There are a couple of songs that are more kin to Grateful Dead space jams than folk music. One song has a really creepy sounding saw that has a melodic wailing sound to it. Porch Song will make you feel good and Cowgirl is pure poetry. This album is just waiting to be discovered."

Skronkabilly

Christopher Forbes | Brooklyn,, NY | 09/04/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There are alternative country stars who really sound like they are only a heartbeat away from mainstream success. Alejandro Escovedo and Chris Mills come to mind in this category. But then there's groups like Trailer Bride...alternative to the core. Trailer Bride's music is hard, HARD country music mixed with elements of punkabilly, and bluegrass. As such, Trailer Bride is an acquired taste, but one well worth acquiring.Smelling Salts is on the whole a good, but not great album. Melissa Swingle is a talented songwriter with a distinctive, one might almost say, weird voice. She twangs hard, hard like June Carter Cash, and yet there's a vulnerability and honesty in her voice that puts mainstream country stars to shame. She writes about real things, not the sentimental "real life" of mainstream country, but about fear, lust, loneliness, happiness and simple pleasures. Highlights of the album include the charming Porch Song, which is a light but touching confessional about her own fears as a performer; South of the Border, with it's three-in-the-morning, bleary lyrics and haunting harmonies; Graveyard, a haunting country ballad with an almost southern Gothic feel; and the touching Bruises for Pearls. The up tempo tunes are a bit more variable. Quit that Jealousy is pleasant, but a bit forgettable. Wildness approaches the Cramps in its punky weirdness. Yoohoo River is a delightful bluegrass breakdown that jars with the odd depiction of a suicide in the lyrics. Show Bizness is quite a fun romp about the hopes for fame in a country family. The band itself is quite good. In addition to Swingle's odd, endearing vocals, she provides primary accompaniment on banjo, guitar, folksy harmonica and musical saw. She is backed by Daryl White on stand-up bass and Brad Goolsby on percussion and spooky noises. The band is loose, but that's part of its charm. So Trailer Bride is to be recommended, especially if you have a taste for authentic country music without the glitz and hype of Nashville. Melissa Swingle is the real deal...not gussied up for recording, just honest and heartfelt songs, delivered with quirkiness and passion."