Kelly Willis' Translated from Love: Consistency + Craft + Great Songs & Singer="Success"

Kelly Willis has been dubbed "Alternative Country's Golden Goddess" (seriously? silly critics) and has been around for over a decade. This year's Translated from Love is my introduction to her, and I liked the girl right away...appealingly rich, plainsung voice, cool retro fashion sense. (Where can I find the yellow heels she's wearing on the cover? Those are badass!)

As for her album, it took some time for it to hit me in the gut. Honestly, my first impression was "eh, good, immensely likeable, but not terribly exciting." And even after it's gotten its hooks into me, I may have a hard time articulating what's so great about it. With a few notable exceptions, the album is quite laid back and unassuming, with subtle melodies that work their way into the subconscious gradually. It's pop rock with twang that stuck me as a little ho-hum at first blush, before I noticed the excellent songwriting and the colorful pool of influences Willis draws from. Willis' vocal charms are also subtle, in that she's not going to wow you with powerhouse emoting...her voice is honeyed and conversational on the ballads, and droll and drawly on the rockers. She's a skilled interpreter, infusing her songs (and cover choices) with personality and warmth.

Playing "spot the influences" with these tracks, I can tell that Willis and her producer (Chuck Prophet) have great taste. Roots rock, power pop, folk/bluegrass and blues seem to be dear to their hearts, and the sound they create is at once familiar, richly detailed, and cool. Fans of offbeat roots rockers like Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe might dig this record as much as the adult alternative/Americana crowd this is being marketed to.

As much as I enjoy the album's breezy, midtempo ballads, I would love for Kelly to tackle more edgy, new wavey rockers like "Teddy Boys" and "Success" on her next record. "Teddy Boys" is (unsurprisingly) a rockabilly tune ("teddy boy" is British slang for a greaser) which boasts a catchy synthesizer riff, while "Success" is a playful, Stonesy Iggy Pop cover with boozy background vocals. Both are standouts and were early favorites of mine.

As for the rest of the songs, some come off a tad more generic than others (the rote blues rock of "I Must Be Lucky" is probably the most faceless track here, though it still isn't bad.) But all are notable for the quality of their songwriting (affecting lyrics and memorable melodies) and the craft and attention to detail in the instrumentation and production (accents like banjo, mandolin, jazzy guitars and *gulp* countrypolitan strings are used to wonderful effect.) Most of the writing is done by Willis and Prophet (with Jules Shear and a fellow named Damon Bramblett also contributing.)

In the tradition of great country songs, these are mostly plainspoken laments/celebrations of life and romantic relationships that hit home in their simplicity. The smoldering torch n' twang of "Too Much To Lose" and "Stone's Throw Away" rubs shoulders with the delicate folksy lilt of "Sweet Little One" and "Losing You." Album opener "Nobody Wants to Go to the Moon Anymore" boasts a chugging, retro rock kick and nifty lyrical imagery (a harvest moon is described as a "red faced drunk with a hundred black eyes.") Shears' "More that I'm Around You" is one of those joyful, immediately endearing jangle rock songs that will never get old to this listener, while "Don't Know Why" finds Willis & Co. putting an appealingly rootsy spin on 80's soul pop.

Translated from Love doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's certainly one of the most charming and consistently enjoyable albums I've heard this year. Craft, consistency, and Willis' subtly soulful voice make the album a standout in the adult alternative/roots rock pack.