From Kim Ruehl,
Your Guide to Folk Music.
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Sisters Donna Simpson and Vikki Thorn have been making music together for years and, judging from SunDirtWater, it's starting to pay off. Together with their long-time collaborator Josh Cunningham and several gifted Nashville session players, the Waifs are back with a record that conjures up all manner of Americana, from blues to folk, folk-rock, and beyond.

Just A Bunch of Great Songs

While most of these songs were penned by Cunningham, some of the biggest standouts were written by one of the sisters. "Stay" (download from Amazon), while decidedly more pop than the others, is one of the greatest highlights of the disc. It's followed, however, by one of the bitingest heartbreak songs, which Simpson composed.

The haunting melody moves at a snail's pace, as the acoustic guitar keeps a chunky trotting rhythm, allowing the electric guitar to swell and drive the heartbreak. She sings, "I'm gonna ride as far south as I can / I'll call a friend I know down there / When love lets me down." However, it's the harmonies at the end of the song, on the repetition of "When Love Lets Me Down" that makes the song soar to greater heights and lower lows.

Other Highlights and Memorable Moments

The album's title track (download from Amazon), Thorn's only composition on the record, is a formiddable, soulful tune at the start of the disc, calling for the mutuality of commitment that can seem so out of reach at times. "Feeling Sentimental" (download from Amazon) is almost old timey in its simplicity, and seems to call for tap dancing.

"Get Me Some" calls to mind the likes of Amos Lee or Shawn Colvin, if that makes sense. It's a smooth feel-good song that calls for sunsets and warm weather. "Vermillion" is a nice narrative country-folk song made warmer by the sisters' harmonies and Thorn's high and lonely harmonica solo. "How Many Miles" (download from Amaazon) is a fantastic traveling song, paying tribute to life on the road, calling to mind some of Sheryl Crow's early work.

In fact, there's hardly a sorry moment on the disc, despite its heavy weight toward heartbreak. But, indeed, heartbreak results in some of the best songs. The Waifs have some of the sweetest synergy that results in fiercely energetic live shows and, as evidenced by SunDirtWater, excellent studio records.