***You, Me, and A Redhead
REVIEWS - 2002/2003


LIVE REVIEW/ THE BOSTON GLOBE: "Kerri Powers, an East Taunton native, released the esteemed "You, Me and A Redhead" two years ago. And she has only gotten better, if this gig was any indication. She performed on Boston's showcase of Billy Block's Western Beat (which runs the second Tuesday of the month at Toad) and her neo-trad country soul had vision and bite. The original song "Tallulah Send a Car for Me" had a Lucinda Williams Brilliance, while a cover of Ivory Joe Hunter's "Since I Met You Baby" was stunning ... Don't miss her next time.
Steve Morse

AMAZON.COM: ***** stars/ ...the `02 release by one of the most unique singer-songwriters on the Boston music scene. Combining elements of country ("What's A Lonesome Girl To Do") and blues ("Don't Tell Me") with stark, honest, and sometimes quirky lyrics ("Battle Row"), this album is reminiscent of early Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, and even Patsy Cline. (Check out the Patsy Cline-inspired vocals on "Daddy Don't Fall Down.") In an age when country music is a mere half step away from pop drivel, this album is a revelation -- and something that no fan of country music should be without. (As a sidenote, if you have an opportunity to see Kerri Powers live, take advantage of it while she's still playing small venues. I finally had a chance to see her perform earlier this year and was completely blown away. The new songs she played will undoubtedly make another great album at some point as well!)



GOLDMINE: Listening with Lee Zimmerman - After a pair of mini-albums and an impressive number of critical kudos, New England singer-songwriter Kerri Powers has created her most definitive effort yet, an album that transforms her from a sensitive folk-singer to a sultry country crooner. "You, Me, and A Redhead" is also her most fully realized effort yet, one in which the songs, arrangements and performances are powerful, polished and clearly in sync. The title track alone is well worth the price of admission. It's a rowdy, rousing country-rock gem that is as infectious and engaging the first time you hear it as it is the twenty-first or the fifty-first for that matter. It sets the tone for all that's to come, as Powers lays out a set of songs that's alternately sassy and seductive one moment, lilting and alluring the next. In songs such as "What's A Lonesome Girl to Do," "Battle Row" and "Self-Made Man," she lays out an honest and emotional portrait of people wrestling with doubt and uncertainty, doing so with an intelligence and craft that renders them as instant classics. At the same time, Powers singing reveals a new-found strength and subtlety simultaneously; these performances are easily the equal of anything found on the latest offerings by Trisha Yearwood or the Dixie Chicks. You, Me, and A Redhead is a revelation, the coming of age for an artist who has courageously pursued her passion in the face of an often frustrating music establishment. Given the support of an enthusiastic label, she could easily become a star. For now though, you ought to pick up this album and give yourself the opportunity to discover Powers prowess before the rest of the world catches on.

THE BOSTON HERALD: When will Kerri Powers finally become a national name? Maybe soon, if her strong, persuasive new album "You, Me, and a Redhead" gets a fair hearing. It's her most stylized, countrified effort yet, and is blessed with both vulnerability and sass." Dan Gewertz

DIRTY LINEN: "You can say that Kerri Powers has a good voice for singing country music, or that she reminds you of singers like Kasey Chambers. But the most important thing to remember about Powers' brand of country music is how much fun it is. You, Me, and a Redhead opens with the jaunty title cut followed by a real weeper, "What's A Lonesome Girl to Do." ... The real sugar high comes with "Self Made Man," a slow-bluesy putdown with lots of sex appeal. "Four Wheel Drive" follows suit, with a woman -- too long ignored -- ready to head out on her own. Powers' vocals carry plenty of conviction, and the bare-knuckle arrangements back her up with plenty of grit. Like the caffeine in a double espresso, You, Me, and a Redhead is guaranteed to perk you up and get you going. "

THE BOSTON HERALD: "You, Me, and A Redhead is a compelling, old-fashioned country album of torch, twang and dark-hearted ballads...The album has real range...There's romantic turbulence, vulnerability and tough, sassy anger. There's an authenticity at work here, a heart-tugging gravity and a lively intelligence to go along with the sass." Daniel Gewertz

THE BOSTON GLOBE: "Honky Tonk heartbreaker one moment, mud-flappin' country rocker the next, local song writer Kerri Powers lets her rootsy heart shine on "You, Me, and A Redhead." Scott Alarik

THE BOSTON PHOENIX:
Local singer Kerri Powers may not be the reincarnation of Tammy Wynette, but that's what she sounds like on You, Me & a Redhead (on her own Leopard Skin label). It's as authentic a country album as has come out of Boston in years (the back-up outfit includes two of the Swinging Steaks, old hands at this sort of thing). Although the arrangements are kept rough, the songwriting is polished enough for contemporary country radio. And not until the Red Sox turn up in a lyric does the Northeast even come into the picture. The real grabber is Powers's voice, which suggests too much hard living to come from a young, married woman from the Boston suburbs.
Brett Milano

COUNTRY STANDARD TIME: .."Powers who hails from Massachusetts, but sounds like she'd fit right in in Kentucky or Mississippi, confronts some of life's greatest worries in a group of story songs that aren't afraid to hit a nerve."
Brian Steinberg

AMG All Music Guide:On You, Me and a Redhead, Kerri Powers' rootsy country music combines the sultriness of Shelby Lynne (the title track), the emotion of Rosanne Cash ("What's a Lonesome Girl to Do?"), and the rocking energy of Bonnie Raitt ("Don't Tell Me"). Hopscotching from bittersweet alternative country on "Four Wheel Drive" to the sad, classic sound of "Daddy Don't Fall Down" to the folky humor of "F-150" - a love song to her truck - Powers displays versatile songwriting that always returns to heartfelt Americana.
Charles Spano

"As heard on her new album, You, Me and a Redhead, Powers is a rootsy folk-rocker, perhaps eastern Massachusetts’s answer to Lucinda Williams." Seth Rogovoy/The Berkshire Eagle

"Area singer Kerri Powers, who released a fine CD, "You, Me and A Redhead," a few years ago opened with a strong set. She's a very strong singer with a slew of good songs ... she demonstrated a hefty dose of musical talent."
Jeffery Remz/Country Standard Time, 9/03

MINOR 7TH: "Kerri Powers has the soul of a poet...She also has the heart of a country girl who peppers her music with bass runs and tremelo while filling her lyrics with liberal doses of trucks, trains, beer, boots and someone doin' someone wrong." David Kleiner

RELIX MAGAZINE: Kerri Powers is a singer-songwriter whose sound nestles somewhere between country, folk and roots-rock. She writes articulate storytelling songs and has a powerful voice, which she uses to good effect on her latest album, You, Me and a Redhead (Leopard Skin Records). If you enjoy the music of Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Rory Block, Lucinda Williams or even Bonnie Raitt, Powers should be of more than passing interest. Mick Skidmore


INSURGENT COUNTRY/Netherlands: ... ... If there is ever a sequel to 'Thelma and Louise,' they should ask Kerri to write the soundtrack."

ROOTS HIGHWAY/Italy: "Kerri Powers is a new name and new discovery, especially for all those who love the roots-rock of Lucinda Williams and Kasey Chambers. Her songs and music are kept in the American roots and country tradition. The album is filled with large doses of dobro, steel, accordion and mandolin. Kerri's songs convey the film-like atmosphere of "Boundary," and if we close our eyes we are suddenly transported to a highway route under the sun, speeding along it's crossbrace... An uninhibited collection of quirky songs and sweet, tender ballads ... "

A&E LIGHTHOUSE: Judging from her songs, the New Englander sounds more like she came out of some Louisiana backwater rather than one in Southeastern Massachusetts. Her honest, earthy songs are infused with a country sensibility that showcases Powers powerful songwriting skills, compelling voice and tight guitar work. Bill O'Neill


WORCESTER MAGAZINE/CRITIC'S PICK: "You, Me, and a Redhead, is a suitcase full of twangy guitars, tight arrangements and crack band support. Singing in a voice that is somewhere between Tammy Wynette and Mary Chapin Carpenter, Powers delivers songs that smell of sawdust, taste of cold beer and sound like they've been tossed around a bit. On the tune "Self-made Man," she spits out this biting little phrase: "You love the smell of money/ you're a bloodhound with a briefcase." Her well-crafted tunes are full of long narratives about local color and purple hearts with catchy hooks about winners and cheaters." Chet Williamson

COSMIK DEBRIS: In a time when the airwaves are full of "new-country" acts with real Southern heritage and not a clue about country music, it seems ironic that one of the best up and comers would be a singer/songwriter from Massachusetts. Kerri Powers comes by it honestly, though, having grown up listening to the songs on the radio in her dad's bucket truck back when names like Tammy, George and Merle meant something to anyone who listened to a country station. She learned her lessons well, polished up her act on the road in her Ford F-150 and now she's put together one of the better country albums you'll hear from anywhere.

I prefer her in up-tempo honky tonk mode, as in the title track, but she can sing the hell out of a heartbreak ballad, too. She's backed up by some of the Boston area's best country pickers, and she's got a set of great songs with great stories to go with a great voice. Shaun Dale