Sarah White and the Pearls

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Amazon

According to the accompanying press kit, Sarah White was born in Warrenton, Virginia, but spent a number of adventuresome years in Monroe County, West Virginia, “riding around in pickup trucks and raising pigs for 4-H.” I guess that’s what passes for street cred if you’re in an alt-country band.  Anyway, this is a serviceable little alt-country disc, though I’d hardly describe it as “a back porch classic in the making” as the publicist does.  The songs are generally laid-back with a rustic flair, provided by the Pearls (Jeffrey Grosfeld on bass, and Steve Ingham on drums).  The comparatively spare, largely acoustic arrangements put White’s “distinctive bourbon and rolling tobacco-soaked vocals” front and center.  Overall, this is a nice little disc, with a number of likeable tracks, although some feature odd flourishes, like the shouted chorus of “Fightin’ Words”, which just destroys the mellow vibe of the song.

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