Cyndi Thomson (Capitol)
Newcomer Cyndi Thomson may just be Nashville's answer to Courtney Love. In fact, those who like their country music with a touch of grunge should enjoy this debut album by the 24-year-old Georgian. Although My World was coproduced by Paul Worley, a guiding hand behind the more frivolous Dixie Chicks, Thomson's husky voice and earnest style are more reminiscent of such introspective female rockers as Edie Brickell, Sheryl Crow and Alanis Morissette.
Her songs—eight of which she cowrote with Nashville veteran Tommy Lee James (Brooks & Dunn)—run to the cerebral, especially "What I Really Meant to Say," "If You Could Only See" and "But I Want To." On the witty "Things I Would Do," she satirically sings about riding her "high horse right off of that cliff."
After starting to sing as a high schooler in Tifton, Ga., Thomson ended up in Nashville, waitressing while she hoped to get discovered. (Among her other temporary jobs: shaving her legs at a promotional party for Deana Carter's "Did I Shave My Legs for This?") Worley and Capitol Records eventually found her, and while she could benefit from a little lightening up, she clearly possesses the musicality of a first-rate singer.
Bottom Line: Contemplative country that rocks!
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