Spunk Discography
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Artist Links
http://feverqueen.com
http://www.myspace.com/cortneytidwell
Video
Biography
Cortney Tidwell’s debut full length ‘Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up’ came out of nowhere with its ravishing guitar pyrotechnics, brittle electronic excursions, intimate torch songs, and since the album’s release in 2006 it has become something of a word of mouth phenomenon (helped no doubt by Ewan Pearson’s stunning remix of the title track voted #34 in Pitchfork’s Tracks of 2007) that continues to win fans amongst the dance community. Furthering her debut album’s success, are her recent shows with Silver Jews, Andrew Bird, Martha Wainwright and Grizzly Bear, and collaboration with Fink for his Sideshow project.
‘Boys’ is Tidwell’s long awaited second album, and after two years in the studio the woman described as “Nashville’s own Little Sparrow” (an undisguised reference to Edith Piaf) has eclipsed her opening set with nonchalant bravado. ‘Boys’ is the product of this history: it owes as much to Depeche Mode and Joy Division as it does to Loretta Lynn and Johnny Cash, and as much, if not more, to Great Britain as to The Grand Ole Opry. It’s an unlikely and unworldly mix, flowing effortlessly from Solid State’s immaculate equilibrium to the krautrock-inspired Seventeen Horses, and from the John Hughes-esque nostalgia of So We Sing to the homespun R&B-influenced Bad News. There’s also the starry-eyed majesty of Palace and the touching innocence of Oh, China, while the archly titled Being Crosby – a duet with Jim James of My Morning Jacket, whose immediate acceptance of her invitation to work together “was a dream come true” – sounds like Joni Mitchell and David Crosby calling to one another across Laurel Canyon. Watusii, on the other hand, offers an icy sparkle that hides a pumping heart and a hook that could land an oil tanker, and Oh, Suicide is so devastating, almost traumatic, that it succeeds, with one simple sleight of hand, in not only breaking your heart but also sending you straight back to the album’s start once again.
Were it not proof that Tidwell is blessed with a magical voice, a boundless imagination and the desire to create something that stands the test of time, ‘Boys’ might appear to be a record that’s so ambitious as to be foolish. But combined with her uncanny knack for melody and her strongest set of songs to date, ‘Boys’ confirms Tidwell is as comfortable with her own defiantly feminine side as she is with the boys who inspired her. Just don’t mistake her for one of them, even if she can beat them at their own game.
