Songstress pays homage to artists who’ve informed her material all along
While this album is devoted to Erin McKeown’s interpretations of songs from the ’30s to the ’50s, it isn’t just another entry in the I’m-more-than-a-contemporary-pop-singer category, a move often made by artists grasping for credibility and cash from deeper wells. McKeown’s connection to this material has informed her own writing since she debuted a decade ago. The disc sparkles and bristles, and-as both a nod to her forebears and a springboard for her own formidable skills-has a whole lot in common with The Band’s Moondog Matinee. One original nestles in amongst its neighbors with a sly wink and, after working with several different producers in the past, Mckeown has now confidently taken over the role herself.