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Miss Leslie Courtesy photo
Even the most encyclopedic country-music fan would be hard pressed to recognize more than one song in Miss Leslie's rollicking live sets, which combine obscure, honky-tonkin' tunes from the '50s and '60s with original gems that sound as equally vintage.
Leslie Lindley -- vocals, fiddle
Ricky Davis -- pedal steel guitar
Ric Ramirez -- upright bass
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Honky Tonk Hangover
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I'll Stand In Line
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In the Matter of Me and You
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Track #4
Live! EP, 2004
Turn Around EP, 2004
Honky Tonk Revival, 2005
Between the Whiskey and the Wine, 2008
Honky Tonk Happy Hour - Live at the Continental, 2006
Between the Whiskey and the Wine isn't just the name of a standout tune on Miss Leslie's new studio disc. It's where several of the heartfelt odes — to faded love, losing your identity and ultimately finding yourself — comfortably reside.
Drinking away sorrows figures into several other songs, including I Can Still Feel, Hold Back the Tears, To Get Through This Day and Honky Tonk Hangover. Expect to find a few tears in your beers, whiskey or wine.
But this is more than just a collection of nighttime downers. Houston's pre-eminent honky-tonk female has crafted a collection that bristles with emotion, a look into the musical soul of a real, live woman.
"This album is about a journey I started several years ago — a journey towards finding myself and living that person without apologies," Leslie (whose last name is Sloan) says in the liner notes.
She's come a long way. Just a few years ago, Miss Leslie's rollicking sets consisted of obscure honky-tonk tunes from the '50s and '60s and a smattering of originals. But experience has since translated into real artistry. She wrote every song on Between the Whiskey and the Wine, and they flow seamlessly with her live catalog of covers.
Leslie still echoes Connie Smith throughout the disc, one of her primary influences. But more than ever, the new record captures the dynamic quality of her live performances. Thank producers Ricky David and Tommy Detamore, who keep things unfussy and put the focus on Leslie's big, bold vocals.
I'll Stand in Line is a hopeful, hopping ode to unrequited love, and there's a joyful sense of satisfaction in kiss-off tune I'm Done With Leaving. Each moment crackles with immediacy.
Honky Tonk Hangover is the disc's most playful moment, buoyed by Leslie's feisty vocal performance. She even manages a few yodels. Try and not smile at least once.
There's real sadness here, too. Pretty Girl laments a woman whose seemingly perfect image masks real, untapped heartache. And during I Can Get Over You, Leslie repeats the title in hopes of convincing herself, more than a former flame, that she's doing OK.
It's sad, really, that commercial radio favors the watered-down likes of Sara Evans and Taylor Swift over real country grit. But In the Matter of Me and You could, with just the smallest chance, be a huge hit. It's sentimental but not syrupy, slick but never obvious, artfully capturing the pain of divorce.
Leslie's band is astonishingly good, every part perfectly complementing the next. Sloan's fiddle flows effectively alongside Dave Biller's guitar, Ric Ramirez's upright bass and Timmy Campbell's drums. And Ricky Davis' sublime steel guitar is like another vocalist. It gives the entire thing an added layer of emotion.
Love Will Find You closes things on a hopeful note, Leslie vowing that, despite so much pain, her honky-tonk heart will heal again. It's a soaring, soulful sound.
-- Joey Guerra | June 11, 2008
