The Washington Post review is interesting and I may agree. It sounds like the writer is saying that Bramble Rose and Tambourine are less like Tift than Another Country. As someone who has been lukewarm about AC, I may agree with that. AC is Tift and the others may be less like her true self. Fair. Interesting. Not sure I buy it completely, but I like it. IMO, Tambourine seemed like a natural progression from Bramble Rose. To think that the 3rd album would head in that direction is not unreasonable.

As for the genre-holing conversations, I think most people need to chill and not take things so personally. Tift brings on some of this conversation herself with her words and music so she's partly to blame. I don't care that much either way; but as mentioned in previous posts, I don't think she's strayed too much from alt/country. It's great that her albums are even being reviewed -- lots of artists don't even get that attention. Plus, most reviews are rarely negative to the average reader who may be influenced to buy the album. There are enough positive things in these articles to get them to buy it. What genre Tift falls into won't influence them greatly. The reviewer is just doing his/her job. Nothing personal. To say that each album is unique and that Tift wouldn't do the same thing twice is a bit much. There are a LOT of derivative works WITHIN her own 3 albums not to mention other artists -- which again, is totally cool ....

BB

Do you think TM would like this description?

"Another Country" is best appreciated like a fine French wine: Savor each sip and let it linger on the palate.

From the print version of Q magazine (May 2008 issue - the one with Madonna on the front)

Another short, sweet, positive review:

With a voice reminiscent of Natalie Merchant and early Emmylou Harris, North Carolina native Tift Merritt bridges genres such as country, adultalternative pop and Americana on her highly infectious third record. Songs such as Broken, Something To Me, My Heart Is Free and the Stax-influenced Tell Me Something True show a fun, upbeat side of the artist while more delicate moments like the lush title track and Keep You Happy only leave the listener wondering why Merritt hasn’t yet garnered widespread popularity. Perhaps a lack of easy musical categorization has proven to be a deterrent for Merritt but with her charming voice and fantastic songs, blurring musical lines has never sounded better.

For those who didn't click the link, this take on AC follows a review of the new album from TM's friend Gary Louris.

I chuckled when reading the auto reference in this review, which appears to be from a publication in British Columbia:

American singer/songwriter Tift Merritt went to Paris to look for inspiration for her album Another Country.

Oddly enough, though, aside from the beautiful ballad Mille Tendresses, the tunes are mostly reminiscent of The Eagles’ bluesy Southern country-rock.

On her MySpace.com page, Merritt describes her sound as “a little like if Creedence Clearwater Revival had a girl singer who loved Dusty Springfield and Bruce Springsteen and old French movies.”

And I’d say Merritt’s lyrics are poetic, while her melodies sound like they should be flying out the window of an old Chevy Chevelle SS flying down a dark desert highway.

Here's one from the Web site blogcritics.org:

Some artists’ (think of Alanis Morrisette) raison d'être is to write about their daily anguish and highlight every impetuous thought. Too much of a contemplative thing can be self-indulgent or just plain bad, but just enough can make a beautiful and soothing piece of music. Tift Merritt's Another Country is such an album.

While in Paris, Merritt befriended an older woman named Cecile, a former jazz singer and a salon owner named Christian. Her friendship with these people and the infusion of a new atmosphere set the framework for the 11 tunes on Another Country. The CD, produced by George Drakoulis (Black Crowes, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) with guest appearances by guitarists Charlie Sexton and Doug Pettibone, flows together seamlessly.

To set the record straight, I think this review's lead paragraphs miss some of the time sequences involved in Another Country's creation.

Please correct my mistakes, fellow fans, but my impression is that TM still had her Lost Highway deal when she initially fled to Paris. The label dropped her after she had written the album.

Despite the errors, It's always nice to see a positive review.

A new one from the UK's Metrolife:

Another Country is the beautiful new album by Tift Merritt, and it's a good advertisement for getting away from it all. Taking a break from a gruelling touring schedule, the North Carolina-raised singer rented a flat in central Paris, and the liner notes of Another Country recount an idyllic time.

She waxes lyrical about the church of Saint-Sulpice, street markets full of fresh food, the piano beside her bed and the kindness of the locals. It was also, evidently, a time of unusual creativity and the proof is in her tuneful, lovely songs.

Previous albums showed Merritt's contrasting sides. Her debut offering, 2002's Bramble Rose, projected young hopes and desires on to winsome, bittersweet ballads. The desire appeared gratified on 2004's Tambourine, an exuberant, sexy and self-confident collection that revealed the full force of her soulful voice.

Another Country almost shadows this journey from vulnerability to self-discovery. Songs such as Keep You Happy and Tender Branch acknowledge the fragile nature of human contact. Throughout, Merritt's vocals have the tender radiance of Dusty In Memphis.

Paris was the inspiration, though the real journey appears to have been inside. Closer Mille Tendresses brings back the city only in the memory. In fact, Another Country was recorded in California and is imbued with the invigorating quality of the sunshine state.