What a difference an album makes, right? Somewhere Else changed Lydia country gal with a name too close to Lydia Lunch or a dead porn star or both, to country girl with the mostest, who can rhyme anything with the c word and doesn’t mind her bodily secretions at all, not to mention can rock like a somabitch. Opening for Old 97’s later today on the double header of the year (yeah I said header, so will she), here is a pre-peek at the setlist with lots from the newbie, three from another, two from a third and none from the debut… not even “Girls Suck” which, you gotta think she should put back in right now.
1. Really Wanna See You – This is the one where you gets fucked up and crank calls her ex, putting starter – A
2. Learn To Say No – Off the sophomore effort, this is so good it could be L’il Mo – B+
3. To Love Somebody – Deep album track, though the lick is pretty good – B
4. Chris Isaak – Gorgeous alt country ballad -not much to do with Isaak (or Presley for that matter) – A-
5. Wine – Gorgeous guitar lick all over this sucker – B+
6. Head – What can I say? One of the great songs of 2014, cunnilingus never sounded so good- A
7. Somewhere Else -Title track of the new one is all on the down beat plus tasty slide guitar ergo, more country than alt – B
8. Verlaine Shot Rimbaud – Poetic references kinda hurt poetic concept – B
9. Hurts So Bad – Hey, maybe I over rate the new album – B-
10. All I Know – Masterful power country rocker, off the one before last – A
11. The Water – Sorrowful ballad, dreaming about an ex, etc. – B-
12. Mile High – Killer song just released last week, as good as anything she’s done recently: call it classic rock – A-
13. Boy Crazy – Flat out masterpiece, with promises only partially kept on Somewhere Else – A
14. Steve Earle – It had to happen, right? She has a strange habit of tributing folks without them; still she is good enough to not appear to be evoking her betters – B
15. More Like Them – Obviously, this was “Boy Crazy” place and so why she put up a deep album track here I don’t know. Still, it is blueprint Lydia, clangy alt country self portrait – B+
