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Metro Country - July, 2002

Lisa O'Kane grew up in California's Yosemite Valley in the town of Fish Camp (population 36), where she and her two siblings were the only kids around. Lisa loved singing and listening to old Hank Williams and Bill Monroe songs on her mom's radio as much as she enjoyed clambering over rocks and streams. Saturday nights, she would go square dancing to a traditional jug band with a washboard and standup string bass. It was a life of simple joys and hard realities.

After singing and playing classical violin throughout childhood and supporting herself after college as a singer in a country band, she essentially gave up music for a while to have her two little girls. Then four years ago, she spontaneously sat in with a band at a local pub on her birthday. After she sang Aretha Franklin's classic "Chain of Fools" and Rodney Crowell's "Ain't Living Long Like This", the bassist told her she was too good not to be performing. "That hit something in my soul and that's when the whole thing started. I knew I had to do it," she says.

When first putting this CD in the player, my instant reaction was, WOW what a voice!!! Distinctive, fresh and the most wonderful new voice to come along in a long while. And not only does she possess a wonderful voice, but she uses it to perfection as she effortlessly, pours out tons of feeling and emotion on the heartfelt ballads contained on here.

On the album's opener, the funky co-write with Ken O'Malley, "Romance and Finance", Lisa reminds me a little of Gail Davies, before moving into the wonderful "Little Black Cloud", a song written by Mark Fosson that as I write is, very deservedly, sitting at the top of the EMS European charts.

The title track, the slow "Am I Too Blue", is a Lucinda Williams penned song that has never sounded better and is guaranteed to bring out the goosebumps. Absolute magic!!!! As is her version of John Prine's "All The Way With You" a great song, sung to perfection! Lisa also digs into the Hank Williams catalogue for a fine rendition of "My Sweet Love Ain't Around" and I just love her take on K T Oslin's "Wall of Tears".

"Lovin' You Again" tells of going back to an old lover time and time again and finds Lisa sounding not unlike Joan Baez in places, as does Sandy's Denny's equally slow "Like An Old Fashioned Waltz". For Gospel lovers there's Bill Monroe's "Old Cross Road Is Waiting" before the album closes with the self-penned, "The Valley", a song that sees her recalling memories of her childhood home.

With top class L.A. musician's that consist of bassist Taras Prodaniuk (from Lucinda Williams' band), organist Skip Edwards (Dwight Yoakam), fiddler Scott Joss (Merle Haggard), electric guitarist Billy Watts (John Trudell), drummer Dave Raven (Surfaris), mandolinst Tom Corbett (John McEuen), and backup singers Teresa James and Kellie Coffey, the album is a pure delight to listen to with Lisa sounding equally at home on the ballads as she is on the more uptempo material.

Lisa O'Kane is major label quality singing REAL country music on an Indie label and "Am I Too Blue" is simply, one of the best albums to land on my desk, so far this year. Check her out - you won't be disappointed! Ray Grundy

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