There's hardly anything that puts as much dread in the hearts of critics as The Solo Album. It's one thing when a drummer (Keith Moon of the Who) or a bassist (John Taylor of Duran Duran) spits out a record by himself; expectations are so low that if they only suck as half as much as you feared, they'd be a minor success. So it was with some anxiety that I approached the three-track EP "Music in My Head" from Claire Massey (http://www.clairemassey.com) of the defunct TAMI Show.
I'm sure many of you (from my generation, at least) were charmed by TAMI Show's single, "The Truth." But that was over a decade ago, and time can sometimes unkind to even the best of artists. Thankfully, that hasn't happened Massey. She didn't suddenly transform into Celine Dion. The pop/rock smarts that informed TAMI Show are still present albeit more mature. "Your Love Came" recalls the Sheryl Crow songbook but with sweeter vocals and crystalline guitars. I'd be tempted to classify "Your Love Came" as Americana but the mix is much more clean than the typical Americana release.
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"Easy Come Easy Go" is a total flashback to TAMI Show; it's an upbeat toe-tapper that should be booming from car stereos. Massey waves us goodbye with the mellow "Rainbows," showing off more range in her vocals. And then it's all over as we sit and wait for a long player. Hopefully, it won't be too long between releases. Welcome back, Claire.
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