Consumer Guide Album

Kelly Willis: Kelly Willis [MCA, 1993]
Willis loves singing like George Jones loves singing, like Rosanne Cash loves singing, and once a fella notices how hard she tries and how strong she feels, he'll want to hug and kiss her till that smile is back on her pretty little face. But though the tunes are her solidest yet, Don Was's Billy Bremner guitar and Jellyfish harmonies don't set them off any more clearly than Tony Brown's neoclassical taste did. That's mostly because Willis's idea of a good lyric is a simple lyric. No wordplay, no narrative, no trenchant details--just the musical statement, alive and direct. OK, honey, if you say so. But I still think maybe you should join that T-group with K.T. and Mary-Chapin. B+