By Brian Rock
Spitfire songstress Tami Neilson continues to shine on her ninth album, Neon Cowgirl. The album is a tribute to both Nashville’s iconic Broadway Boot Company sign and to the city itself. She recalls playing Nashville as a child with her family band, The Neilsons. She recalls her early years as a solo songwriter and performer there. She comes full circle and shares the hopes and dreams of Music City with her own children. With her trademark dynamic vocals, she adds a touch of country twang to her usual jazz and blues influences to mark her triumphant return to the birthplace of her musical dreams. Neilson has a story to tell and a mesmerizing voice that compels you to listen.
Neilson kicks off the album with the fiery girl-power anthem, “Borrow My Boots.” Like a banjo infused “Black Horse & The Cherry Tree,” she delivers a manifesto of female cooperation and empowerment. Singing, “If there’s a wall too high to climb and you can’t see over. Well, you can see just fine standing on my shoulder;” she offers her support to women trying to make their way in the world. Unlike Nancy Sinatra, Neilson’s boots aren’t just meant for walking, they’re meant for kicking down doors. She declares, “Hey, hey sister, sometimes the only way through is to knock it down, break it loose, kick it in. You can borrow my boots.” Pulses of Hammond organ and a soaring electric guitar solo match the energy and urgency of Neilson’s vocals.
“Heartbreak City,” is a hard driving, Bakersfield influenced tribute to Nashville and to every musician who has ever tried to, “trade your misery for melody to ease the pain.” She growls the musician’s travelling blues on, “U-Haul Blues.” Neilson leans into her soul background on her plea for tolerance, “Love Someone.” She fuses gospel, soul, and rock on the rousing, “Salvation Mountain.” She lays a seductive, velvet trap in the Country Noir, “You’re Gonna Fall.”
Adding an orchestral string section, Neilson shows off her softer side on the tender, “Foolish Heart.” Combining the elegance of Diana Ross with the pleading solemnity of Tammy Wynette, she sings, “Is it so wrong? I don’t want to be strong. I’ll crumble to pieces to find sweet relief from this foolish heart.” “Keep On,” continues with the string section, but adds an underlying tone of foreboding to warn against giving up on your spiritual journey. “Loneliness of Love,” and “One Less Heart,” capture the 1950’s yearning innocence of Patsy Cline and Connie Francis. Neilson encapsulates her entire Nashville experience in the inspiring, “Neon Cowgirl.” Recalling the first time she saw the iconic sign, she sings, “Neon cowgirl, light up the town girl. Put the sun to bed. Drowning out the worries of the week again. On my arrival, your lipstick smiled. It felt like, ‘Welcome home!’.” She sees the neon sign as an inspiration, as a metaphor for her own dreams. Basking in it’s pulsing light, Neilson wonders, “Can I be the girl lighting up the sky?” Years after that first visit, and eight albums later, Tami Neilson made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage last year, finally answering that question with a resounding “Yes!”
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Brian Rock
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