Ashley Riley
Through the Thin
Riled Up Records
Subtle yet breathy, Ashely Riley’s latest album is in that large cloud bank of wonderful female vocalists who work in a “County Lite” mode. This backing band has all the instruments associated with country music – acoustic guitar, fiddle, and elemental yet subdued drumming. Tempos tend toward “The Tennessee Waltz” and there’s a calmness present in each track. Ms. Riley never gets over-excited whether the issue is new found love or new found cheating, but she always attacks from the heart. Very light touches of echo make her voice memorable, yet not over bearing. Thirteen tracks on this new collection, each a gem and honestly, I can’t pick a favorite- instead, I love them all equally.
