A while ago country music was a really dirty word, but due to the class of artists that have been releasing albums recently that is something that has changed… the new Footloose soundtrack has even managed to find its way into the charts. And while Adelaide is far away from the Nashville it has just produced one of the finest country artists I have heard in a while.
With Troy Cassar-Daley, Renee Geyer and Ross Wilson as fans Snooks La Vie sounds like someone you should be listening to and after just one listen to his debut album Another Place In Time you also realise that he has the talent to downright demand respect.
This is a gem of an album and you certainly don’t have to be a country fan to be thinking that way. The melody of opening track ‘Lonely Day’ is enough to win over any music fan while Snooks La Vie’s eerie vocals on ‘One I Love’ is enough to separate him from the wannabes.
Tracks like ‘Sometimes Life Gets In The Way’, ‘Time Will Heal’ and ‘Steppin’ Out’ show that he has the smooth country sound downbeat, but it is his willingness to take chances that is really downright impressive.
‘Aeroplane Glue’ sees Snooks La Vie go real country but you certainly couldn’t call it cheesy while the more upbeat ‘No Need To Worry’ really jazzes up the album and lifts it to a new level. The highlight of Another Place In Time however is ‘Darkest Hour’, a heartfelt track that sounds like something that Don Walker would pen for Cold Chisel. ‘Terraced House’ yet again shows that Snooks La Vie has song-writing talent to burn.
‘Six Foot Skinny’ is screaming out to be used at a bush dance while the short and sweet ‘It Don’t Matter’ is simply another reason why you should be adding Another Place In Time to your CD collection sometime really soon.
Watch out Australia I think we have just discovered one of best-finds of 2011.
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