Sarah Borges
Album: Radio Sweetheart
Label: Lonesome Day
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.sarahborges.com/

Timed to coincide with her UK tour, this is Sarah's first solo album since her split from her band 'the Broken Singles' with whom she toured relentlessly and successfully for a decade. Her CDs and live performances to date have been well reviewed, 'Paste' magazine declaring her to have 'all the good parts of Sheryl Crow's sound without the L.A. pop suckdown'. 'The New York Times' described her as 'a modern-minded honky-tonker with a retro streak'.

'Radio Sweetheart' is a high energy Americana album with rock'n'roll overtones, and a hugely enjoyable listen. The songs are masterfully self-penned and reflect her journey from rock band tourer to new mother, having wisely married her guitarist, Lyle Brewer who plays on this record to great effect.

Sarah has a Gram Parsons- flavoured country voice, with hints of raunchy and defiant, but there is a kind of joyfulness too in her total commitment. When she sings, she nails it. The high octave vocal performance is more than matched by musicians at the top of their game, providing very classy feel-good accompaniments.

The album was produced at Woolly Mammoth Studios by Steve Berlin, the sax and keyboard player of Los Lobos. Interestingly, it has been financed by Sarah's crowd-funding campaign, and so already has a fan base of support, which has boosted Sarah's solo career with her new label.

The one cover song is 'Heavy Dreams' written by Lloyd Price, which moves along in a bluesy, rockabilly Sun Studio style. The title track 'Radio Sweetheart', telling of unrequited love, has an edge to it with a slightly unpredictable arrangement, but is a contrast to the major key rock of the rest of the tracks, all of which are upbeat and foot-tapping. In fact 'Radio Sweetheart' is an energising experience when you want to get moving and feel the blood course through your veins.......Great music to make breakfast to, like the high from a double shot Americano!

Kath Reade