Defending Shawn Colvin

Her career arc is problematic. After starting as an earnest Austinian acoustic folkie with perhaps a bit of twang, in the early 1990s she made some rather poppy records and had a few glossily produced hits. Presently she seems to exist in a sort of middle-ground between safe Boomer soft rock, lite country, and the slicker side of acoustic folk. It is in the third area that I think her best work lies.

I will contend that the album Steady On and the Live '88 disc are worth attention from those who only know her slicker and more facile hits. The live record's standouts--"Diamond In The Rough," "Shotgun Down The Avalanche," "Another Long One," "Don't You Think I Feel It Too," "Knowing What I Know Now"--are quite lyrically clever. The prevailing mood is a self-deprecating, slightly weary melancholy. Plus they work well in a solo-guitar format--especially if you find her pop records offputting because they're overproduced (as I do).

Fat City was the breakout album and it has much of the poppy material that I'm now sick of--"Round of Blues" and "Object of My Affection"--but there are also some worthwhile songs. I've always liked "Polaroids."

A Few Small Repairs had the single "Sunny Came Home," but otherwise failed to be a strong followup. So this is where the giant eyeball of fame moved away from Ms. Colvin and started looking for a new diversion. Many of the songs on it are kinda yawn-inducing and feel a more than a little phoned-in. I could probably still enjoy "Wichita Skyline," had I the inclination to listen to this record again.

Cover Girl is mostly known for its disastrous Police cover, which was, I believe, a mistake. But still, the other songs on it are stellar: Tom Waits's "Looking For The Heart Of Saturday Night," Robbie Robertson's "Twilight," and a very sweet, quiet reimagining of the Talking Head's spazzy "This Must Be The Place."

Her version of "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" is, I think, a gem. It's got dizzyingly complex guitar work and a nice wistful treatment of the lyric. It strikes, for me, the right balance to be a great cover: faithful enough and different enough end up exactly right.