Track Listing

1. Divine Sweet Divide
2. Every Devil
3. Whiskey Tango
4. Juts In Case You Quit Me
5. Butterfly Thing
6. My Life As A Ghost
7. The Center
8. Golden Mean
9. The Promise
10. Story High
11. Fallout

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67440 in Music
• Released on: 2004-07-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .15 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
It might be a cliché that musicians only truly reach middle age when they start work on their first country album, but Whiskey Tango Ghosts proves that musical maturity needn't equal artistic stagnation. Consciously inspired by artists such as Lucinda Williams, Gram Parsons, and Emmylou Harris, this is a record that offers a sound some way removed from creator Tanya Donelly's previous outfit, candy grungers Belly. But Donelly's voice has improved with age, and on this warm, immersive collection, she's brought about an impressive change of musical priorities: gone are the moments of technicolour dischord and taste for syrupy shoegazer fuzz, replaced by a new clarity that places gentle, unadorned instrumentation and simplicity of form at the centre of the vision. Fans will be relieved that despite this record's vaunted country edge, there's no Garth Brookes haminess: the pedal steel and Nashville guitar, which comes courtesy of Rich Gilbert from Frank Black's The Catholics, is effective in its restraint. Meanwhile, tracks such as "My Life As a Ghost" and hymn-to-abstinence "Golden Mean" work the clever trick of sounding satisfied, but mercifully, never self-satisfied. This is a welcome return. --Louis Pattison

CD Description
'Whisky Tango Ghosts' is the third album from former Breeders and Belly member Tanya Donelly. A departure from her previous work, Donelly cites Gram Parsons, Lucinda Williams, andEmmylou Harris as inspiration for her toned down, minimalist country sound that is displayed here.

Customer Reviews

Ethereal and sublime
Frankly, it doesn't matter what you call this - country, jazz, indie, alt-country or whatever - the fact is that Tanya's vocals remain one of the most heart-tearing sounds you are ever likely to hear. From the very first second of this album I was reminded of the glorious early Rickie Lee Jones, and elsewhere there is the sublime fragility of Maria McKee. Everyone will have their own favourites on this album, so don't take anyone else's word for it, just go and buy it, play it when you have the time and space to listen, and just let Tanya carry you away to a better place.

BEAU-TI-FUL
First, let me say it straight: this has NOTHING to do with country music!! This is actually pure american folk & pop & soul music. And the best one, nothing to do with, say, Sarah McLachlan. It's actually closer to the tasty american folk & soul music of Lori Carson. True however, Tanya has left her arty edges behind for this third solo album. Nothing aesthetic here, it's all about grace, harmony and rhythm, heartbeat of life. She's a mother, and she's a singing element of the circle. Her pure voice is still flying around the enchanted woods, but this is now from the real life, not artificial fairy. Life itself IS a wonder. This album is beau-ti-ful, and songs like "Golden Mean", "Story High", "Every Devil" or "Divine Sweet Divide" instant grace. Don't miss that happiness.

Sentimental Mushyness At Its Best
Well now Tanya has a child, she seems to have gone completely mellow for this new album that could actually be used for sleeping music for babies!

When I say mellow, gone are the anthems from "Lovesong For Underdogs" and gone is the pure darkness from "Beautysleep". Here we have acoustic guitar melodies embellished with pianos, bass guitars and minimalist percussion - and it works fantastically.

Tanya's voice shines as she does her fragile best to sing you to sleep with various love songs, many of them thing little country twists in them but without the country parts being too overpowering. Only on occasion does Tanya become dark with the delicious "My Life As A Ghost".

Melodic, soothing, sweet yet not sickly - I'd recommend this album to anyone who wants quieter music somedays.