RHINESTONED - PAM TILLIS
Pam Tillis’ first indie CD (on her own Stellar Cat Records) is as impressive a collection as anything she released on a major — perhaps better. From start to finish, every track shines. With loves-gone-by as the pervasive theme, the album is realistic without being fatalistic — there’s always hope. “Train Without a Whistle” is a cautionary tale of a fly-by-night lover, while “The Hard Way,” written by Tillis with her brother, Mel Tillis Jr., is an honest look at the failure to learn from past mistakes. The Tillis/Nicholson-penned “Life Has Sure Changed Us Around,” a duet with John Anderson, is an entertaining romp through a couple’s memories of their wilder days (”Our sins were not original, but we gave them our own twist”). The album’s spiritual closer, “Over My Head,” is a testament to better days ahead. Billboard
