[.ca] Other Women

From Amazon.com:
With her Boyfriends, Neko Case blurs the line between rock and country, but when playing the rare gig as one-half of the Corn Sisters, she's all roots. Here, along with Sister Carolyn Mark, you'll find 16 laid-back and unpolished acoustic tunes (some covers, some originals) recorded one fateful night in 1998 at Seattle diner/bar Hattie's Hat. The songs vary in spunk, but most of Case's influences are exposed here--stripped-down covers of Loretta Lynn's "Fist City," Lucinda Williams's "Howlin' at Midnight," and one standard, "This Little Light of Mine," are all impressive. Everly Brothers-inspired harmonies abound, and, on the handful of folksy originals, Mark steals the show. From the lovesick ballad "Matinéed" to the more-upbeat "Not a Doll" (sounding slightly like Mary Lou Lord's better material), these are great tunes. Neko Case completists will want to hear this project (and Neko's work with power-popsters the New Pornographers), and alt-country fans won't be disappointed by this low-key, fun hootenanny. --Jason Verlinde

haunting and hilarious:
i bought this album blind (or maybe deaf) on the strength of neko case's strikingly haunting voice and it immediately became one of my favorites. its stripped-down acoustic approach allows both case and mark's luminous vocals to shine unemcumbered. by turns funny (corn on the cob), and heartbreaking (don't let me cross over and long black veil), this is an album for the lovesick in need of a little cartharsis. Buy it.

Very glad I finally got this one.:
Even though I am a big Neko Case fan (and Carolyn Mark fan to a lesser degree), I held off getting this CD for a long time because the reviews were so iffy. I'm sorry I waited - it's great. Even the sound quality is pretty decent - certainly not bad enough to detract from the songs. If you're not a big fan of either of these women, this may not be the CD to start with. But if you're holding off like I was because you're not sure it's worth it, you're missing out.

Maybe you had to be there:
I'm giving this two stars because I admire Neko Case too much to give anything she does one star. This sounds like an office party, one of those beery nights when someone discovers that two of the women from the accounting department like to sing and play guitar and then everyone gathers around and has a lot of hooting and hollaring fun listening to them immitate country music. I took a chance on this one because I think Case is a real talent. Oh well: you can't win them all.

Low-quality sound, high-quality singing:
On the plus side: Two terrific harmony singers doing justice to everything from "The Long Black Veil" to the goofy original "Corn On The Cob" to an acoustic version of "High On Cruel" (the electric version is on Neko Case's 'The Virginian'). On the minus side: Sounds like it was recorded through a dicto-phone. Really. If you like high-quality sound, both of these gals have other good CDs. If you want to hear their live show, with its combination of jokes and murder ballads, here's the chance.

• Too Many Pills
• Not a Doll
• No More for You
• She's Leaving Town
• Fist City
• Matineed
• Love Me
• Long Black Veil
• Howling at Midnight
• High on Cruel
• 90 Miles an Hour
• Don't Let Me Cross Over
• Endless Grey Ribbon
• Corn on the Cob
• This Little Light