It’s unclear if Coldwater represents singer/songwriter SHANNON MCNALLY‘s definitive steps away from the major label merry-go-round by which she’s been ill-served, or if it’s simply a stop-gap between deals. Regardless, the eight song album (five originals, three covers) is, to my ears, her strongest release yet. The roots-oriented McNally leans more towards the blues/soul side of her multi-faceted personality here, digging deeply into groove and letting her vocals settle into a sultry purr. “This Ain’t My Home,” BILL HOOVER‘s “Freedom to Stay” and “Jack B. Nimble” cast her as blues chanteuse, as irresistible as she is forbidding. She hasn’t left her country/folk instincts in the cold, however, as “Bohemian Wedding Song” and STEVE YOUNG‘s “Lonesome, Ornery and Mean’ attest. She closes out with a strangely enervated cover of BOB DYLAN‘s “Positively 4th Street,” but that’s a minor misstep. Away from the suits, McNally sounds refreshed and finally ready for her close-up.
