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The Trishas Album Review: High, Wide & Handsome

Four very strong individuals and creative singer/songwriters/mulit-instrumentalists (Jamie Wilson, Liz Foster, Kelley Mickwee and Savannah Welch) have created a relatively new group, The Trishas, along with a powerful debut album, High, Wide & Handsome. Four part Texas-filled harmonies to die for, delivered in voices that hit you right in the soul upon impact. It is not surprising that they named themselves (albeit casually) after one of the strongest and most beautiful voices in Country Music, Trisha Yearwood. 

The Trishas are somewhat of an accidental miracle. When the ladies came together for a performance in tribute to Savannah’s Welch’s father, acclaimed songwriter Kevin Welch, they (and the audience) felt a magic brewing. As doors opened for the women to perform together, slowly and surely they found themselves heading toward an intertwined destiny. The new album solidifies their union in a big way. High, Wide & Handsome contains fourteen (count ‘em) stellar tracks and you’ll still be wanting more. The Trishas do not sound like any other female-based group that I can recall and their strength is in allowing each vocal identity to shine.

This album is definitely Country. Roots Country, Swamped & Smoky Blues Country, Texas Country, Folk Country. It’s all here. The beauty is, when dealing with such distinctive origins of the creative spark, you get a tremendous variety in sound and emotional range. Somehow, these four gifted women weave their voices in and out of each other with passion, power and perfect cohesiveness.

One of my favorite tracks on the album, “Little Sweet Cigars,” is about being a fool for love.

“…I could have told you, darlin’ , it would end up like this, when you’re kissed by a fool, fooled by a kiss. I believed you, baby, in your silver lying tongue. You were handsome and older, I was foolish and young…”

Such great delivery and the oh-so-tasty “aah ahh’s”  wind in and around some simple but killer guitar licks. You can feel Texas. ”Cold Blooded Love” is a spooky, seductive southern blues number and “One Down” is a stunning song of desperate passion. “Over Forgiving You” stands out as a most-likely single. It feels a bit like mixing Texas and Allison Moorer together, and this song is catchy enough to perhaps spill over some true authentic goodness onto Country radio airwaves.  Wouldn’t that be something? These women could be the answer we’ve been waiting for in the quest to save  radio from the stale, boring and overproduced mess it has become. I can see The Trishas having the mass appeal and potential to shake things up and get Country radio back on track.  Folk lovers will be satisfied as well, especially with the pure and sweet offering, “Gold & Silver.”

With The Trishas, you get absolute pure and staggering talent. High, Wide & Handsome is beautifully crafted without any forced or manufactured arrangements, vocally or musically. It unfolds naturally and is alive with soaring, soulful energy and grace.

High Wide & Handsome drops August 7. Buy it HERE.

Track List:
1. Mother of Invention
2. Strangers
3. Little Sweet Cigars
4. Liars & Fools
5. Cheater’s Game
6. Looking At Me
7. Why
8. Over Forgiving You
9. One Down
10. Cold Blooded Love
11. Rainin’ Inside
12. The Fool
13. John Wayne Cowboy
14. Silver & Gold
Bonus Download:
A Far Cry From You (Featuring Raul Malo)

More on The Trishas: www.thetrishas.com

~ Aileen Ballard

“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch.  You’ve got to go out and kick ass.” ~  Maya Angelou    

“Woman is the Wonder of the World.”  ~ Billy Joe Shaver                                                                           

www.kickassmusicwomen.com