Tabatha & Southern Fry’d -
Avoid Heat & Flame
By: Brianna Nightingale, CSO Staff Journalist
7/15/08
 One
thing I love about the internet is that you can find
independent artists from around the world that you would
never have a chance of hearing on the radio. Many of them
are so good you want to turn the radio off and turn MySpace
on.
The name, the sound and the attitude of Tabatha & Southern
Fry’d is as southern as biscuits and gravy. There are no
pretensions and no trying to be something they’re not. What
you see is what you get and what you get is a whole lot of
real, a whole lot of honest, and a whole lot of TSF telling
it the way they see it.
The album is Avoid Heat & Flame and rightly so. This
is highly flammable and combustible material. It’s a touch
country, a touch honky-tonk and a touch southern rock with a
couple sticks of dynamite thrown in for good measure. It’s
about life and what can happen to you in it, the heartbreak,
joy, sorrow, challenges, family, loyalty and pride in who
you are.
This is music from the backbone and the front porch of
America.
In the first song, “Stubborn,” the lyrics get right down to
the heart of what a southern woman is, strong, determined
and able to handle her man. It’s about not giving up, no
matter what happens. Tabatha’s strong, no nonsense voice, is
as forceful as the words of this song.
“Next Train” shows the flip side of what can happen if you
cheat on your southern woman. Like holding on to the caboose
of a train pulling out of the station, you won’t have a
chance of stopping it, or her. Be prepared.
“Hank It Up” is about letting out some of what we all bottle
up inside. It’s a good time honky tonk romp that will put a
smile on your face. It’s as much a statement of personal
freedom as it is a party call.
“Give Me Back My Wings” is about how far a girl can be
pushed before she’s had enough and the bittersweet taste of
leaving.
The lead guitar drives “Turn the Girls Loose” and it’s
incredibly infectious.
A southern woman knows what it’s like to be a “Kentucky
Daddy’s Girl” and that southern family loyalty and pride
shows through in this affirmation of American heartland
values.
“Inside Out” is the group’s only nod to a standard song. No
copycat version of the original, TSF takes care to put their
own stamp on the song.
When making a living takes up a little too much of your time
and you need to get away to clear your mind and get some
balance, “Back Roads” are what you need. This song pays
homage to the exquisite countryside of the group’s home
state of Kentucky where people go for Sunday drives even
when it’s not Sunday.
"Change" is about the challenges of facing and fighting your
own internal demons and is sung with such conviction, you
may find yourself holding your breath while listening.
The final song, "Empty," is about knowing when to let go.
Sometimes that’s the hardest thing to know.
Few albums paint pictures as well as this one. Uncluttered,
clear and to the point, this album is solid lyrically,
vocally and musically. If you’re an adult and you haven’t
had everything handed to you on a platter, this is music
you’ll understand.
Click on the CD cover to order yours!
Related
Links:
MySpace
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