Fiddler and singer
Andrea Zonn
has been doing session work in Nashville since she was 16, and is currently a mainstay of
Vince Gill
's band. Her first solo album nicely showcases her sweet and mellow voice, while mainly relegating her fiddling to the background (and augmenting it with viola and "chin cello"). She's chosen mostly slow and mid-tempo songs for
Love Goes On
, which is kind of too bad -- there's nothing wrong with slow songs per se, but the one nagging disappointment throughout the album is its lack of energy. Her
Cajun
-flavored cover of
Beth Nielsen Chapman
's
"Heads Up for the Wrecking Ball"
has a certain amount of oomph, and she applies a graceful
Celtic
twist to the whimsical flavor of the old
Split Enz
song
"Weather With You."
And when
steps in to contribute harmony vocals on the gorgeous
"In My Own Backyard,"
the effect is electric even though the song itself is languorous -- it brings to mind some of
Richard & Linda Thompson
's more heartbreaking songs. But her version of
Neil Finn
"Better Be Home Soon"
lacks the edge of romantic threat that gave the
Crowded House
version its subtle bite, and
"Another Day"
is just as mundane as its title. Everything else slips by pleasantly enough, without really making you sit up and take notice. This is a promising debut overall, but not an unqualified triumph. ~ Rick Anderson