Album Review: Mockingbird by Allison Moorer

Of the remaining tracks, Moorer's interpretation of Julie Miller's "Orphan Train" takes us down a moving path: her father killed Moorer's mother and himself, in front of her and Lynne. Lynne's stirring "She Knows Where She Goes," precedes it. Together they reflect the deliberately forgotten, topically tragic side of the American country tradition -- Nashville is just plain afraid of songs like this.

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Given the limited compositional skills of country crooner Allison Moorer, the release of this covers album isn’t surprising (especially after sister Shelby Lynne just put out that lame tribute to Dusty Springfield), but choosing to record only songs by women is an intriguing twist. It might actually have made for a great comeback album if Moorer had dug a little deeper for more appropriate material. Certainly, she could’ve found something better to reinterpret by Joni Mitchell than the well-worn Both Sides Now, and Patti Smith’s Dancing Barefoot seems weirdly incongruous on the album sequenced after a maudlin reading of June Carter Cash’s Ring Of Fire.

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Honey-haired Allison Moorer follows her sister Shelby Lynne's lead for a set of mostly covers. While Lynne feted only Dusty Springfield, Moorer's sixth album features material by women celebrating their strength. The premise allows Mrs. Steve Earle a wide berth to explore a sweep of styles and emotions, choosing tunes from the unlikely combination of Patti Smith, Joni Mitchell, Ma Rainey, and Chan Marshall.

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