Tift Merritt: Tambourine : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

North Carolina alt-county singer makes Dusty proud on her fine second album, singer-songwriter Tift Merritt has merged her North Carolina roots rock with blue-eyed soul, Memphis style. Produced by George Drakoulias (the Black Crowes, the Jayhawks, Tom Petty), Tambourine finds Merritt turning up her Dusty Springfield-like pipes on tracks such as "Good Hearted Man" -- an outright homage to Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man," fueled by horns and Hammond B-3 organ -- and the euphoric, gospel-tinged "Shadow in the Way." Merritt goes for full-throttle boogie on "I Am Your Tambourine," featuring steel-guitar maestro Robert Randolph, and slows things down on the plaintive ballad "Plainest Thing." There's not a dud among the dozen tracks, a testament to Merritt's talent as both a distinctive singer and writer.