It's hard not to sound glib or patronising when one says that Alison Moorer could learn a few lessons from her older sister, Shelby Lynne. You see, Shelby made a whole bunch of records not unlike this, Alison's second, before finally breaking out of the constraints created for her by the country music establishment and releasing her soul-influenced gem "I Am Shelby Lynne". Alison, like Shelby, has a great voice (though perhaps not as great) but it's the musical accompaniment that causes the problem. Only Buddy Miller's playing on "The Best That I Can Do" shines through; otherwise it's business as usual, with bland sounds and luscious strings killing any kind of decent foil for Alison's promising but relatively uninspiring lyrics. Considering Alison's turbulent family history it's hardly surprising that lyrically she's negative in tone but, really, titles like "The Hardest Part", "Day You Said Goodbye", "Is It Worth It" and "It's Time I Tried" really make this hard work.
Then suddenly right at the end and four minutes and 29 seconds into the last song comes a remarkable moment. The ballad "Feeling That Feeling Again" suddenly fades out. An uncredited tune appears on which Moorer has dumped the band. In it she tells the tale of how her father murdered her mother before taking his own life. It has the feel of a traditional murder ballad and its intimacy is truly shocking. Moore's Alabama accent and unadorned voice make for her finest moment yet. All the more so by sister Shelby Lynne's refusal to talk about the events. It's a sure pointer of where Moorer should take her career from here and it almost makes this record worth buying. From tragedy comes great great music and both Shelby's "I Am Shelby Lynne" and this track proves the devil influences all the best hands.