Former Grant Lee Buffalo frontman Grant-Lee Phillips has proven that he can manage without his band. His first two solo albums Ladies' Love Oracle (2001) and Mobilize (2002) were characterized by tasteful singer-songwriter pop and careful experimentation with modern beats. On his third CD Virginia Creeper, however, he opts for a different approach and goes more in the Americana direction. Instead
… of a computer beat, we now hear a banjo, violin, dobro, mandolin or pedal steel and that certainly doesn't sound wrong. Here too, Phillips' voice (which in a song like Calamity Jane reminds a bit of Bruce Springsteen) falls right into place, and the harmonies with singer Cindy Wasserman are also good. Besides his own compositions and modest songs in which Phillips has enough space for his mini-stories, he also covers Hickory Wind by The Byrds, from the famous album Sweetheart Of The Rodeo. Grant-Lee Phillips once again proves to be a gifted songwriter and singer on this highly refined album. (IV)more
