Published on Nov 29, 1999
The first time I ever heard Katy Moffatt was on her last disc
Angel Town, a scaled-down production that showcased one of
the genre’s most underrated performers. In an era where Shania
Twain is revered and Garth Brooks is treated like the God of the
moment, Moffatt’s vocals and the stripped-down sound the disc had
showed just how powerful country-folk could be. It was a wonderful
revelation.
One album later, Moffatt returns with a full-band sound – and it
unfortunately takes away from her legacy.
Loose Diamond still highlights Moffatt as a star who is
burning bright while some people have chosen not to look at it, but
it’s nowhere near the kind of album that
Angel Town was… a pity.
At least early on, the focus of the disc is more on the country
aspect of the music than anything else; tracks like “I Walk Along”
and “Here We Go” are examples of this new approach. Unfortunately,
they’re not as accessible, though I guess someone who was more into
country music would appreciate these tracks more than I did. But
it’s disappointing that the folk aspect of the music is put on the
shelf – at least for a while.
Loose Diamond rediscovers the storytelling aspect that made
Angel Town such a wonderful album on songs like “Waitin’ For
The Sun To Shine,” “The Cuckoo” (featuring producer Dave Alvin in a
duet with Moffatt) and the title track. The problem is that it
feels like including these songs is just a symbolic tip of the hat
to the old magic – even so, I’ll gladly take more tracks like
these, thank you very much.
While the bulk of
Loose Diamond is still an enjoyable album, the magic just
doesn’t shine as brightly as before. Songs like “Burning Memories,”
“Whiskey Money & Time”, “Stoned At The Jukebox” and “So Long
Baby Goodbye” just don’t connect in a way I would have expected.
Then again, where I once said that
Angel Town was an album I had to listen to two or three
times to really appreciate, maybe
Loose Diamond just requires a little more time and
attention.
It’s not that Moffatt should never have examined her country
side; she’s never been afraid to admit in her music that country is
a major force in her work. But it seemed like she was able to
strike a balance between country and folk previously; maybe this
time around, she wanted to put a little more emphasis on her roots
and a little less on the folk aspect.
Loose Diamond is still an album that you’ll be able to
appreciate – but it’s not quite equal to the crown jewel in her
discography. Compared to
Angel Town, this disc just doesn’t have the same kind of
sparkle.