Bully – Lissie Bully – Lissie (Buy)

I have been extremely excited for Lissie’s full-length album because I have really enjoyed listening to her Why You Runnin’ EP. Lissie’s EP has a great upbeat bluegrass feel similar to the likes of Neko Case and Dolly Parton (who I adore – strong female vocals have a special place in my heart), especially with her gem, Wedding Bells.

I have been listening to this new Lissie album for a while now, and I am having a very difficult time categorizing her full-length album, Catching a Tiger. It seems to me like every song sounds like someone else or works from a different angle to target a specific audience. For instance, from the clear and classic vocals on Everywhere I Go would make Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton proud. Then I get a little bit of early 90′s Sheryl Crow twang, like on Cuckoo.

What disturbs me is that it can at times lie dangerously close on the “soft ladies rock” border (think Cobie Caillat playing inside a hair salon). Fans of Ingrid Michaelson will enjoy this album in its entirety, however Lissie needs to kick it up a notch on the next album to give her that extra bite like indie darlings Feist and Regina Spektor have. My favorite track is Little Lovin’ and if Lissie can channel more of her Mississippi roots like she did here, than she will be able to capture success with a larger range of listeners.

With her beach blonde hair and adorable freckles, this Mississippi native has a bright future ahead of her. But I am afraid for now; I’m going to label her as the country version of Corinne Bailey Rae.