Tami Neilson- Neon Cowgirl
Label: Outside
Producers: Tami Neilson and Steven Schram
The stylistic range of both the musical vision and the physical voice of underground country dazzler, Tami Neilson continues to entrance on Neon Cowgirl, the New Zealand transplant’s tenth studio album and first proper set since 2022’s earthquaking Kingmaker (a marvelous Willie Nelson tribute album released last fall held us over in between). Her magical ability to seamlessly cascade between devastating torch-country, ball-busting modern honky-tonk, and slithering country-rock remains a rare and inimitable gift exclusive to her amongst this current generation’s crop of artists.
However, it’s also her spell-binding ability to conjure up memories of a musical giant from the past that remains among her music’s most magical qualities, and it’s arguably showcased more prominently on this set than on any others preceding it in her catalog. Six decades have passed since her death, however you’d be forgiven for thinking that opening cut “Foolish Heart” was the resurrection of Patsy Cline herself. Lush with spine-tingling countrypolitan strings and a commanding piano finale, Neilson trades in her ferociously volcanic vocal fire for an emotive, soulful tremble and a stunning showcase of gorgeous heartbreak and vulnerability. It reaffirms her voice’s reputation as one of the most seismically powerful vessels in all of music. She carries that gorgeous quality throughout other dramatic album show-stoppers like the bluesy and slightly socially-tinged “Love Someone”, and especially “Loneliness of Love”, another career performance and a generational exercise in classic country devastation.
The Cline comparisons are certainly vocal compliments of the highest possible order, but it’s also important to distinguish that they don’t serve as the pigeonholes they did once upon a time for Patsy-devotees like Mandy Barnett, and to an occasional lesser-extent, a teenaged LeAnn Rimes. Neilson’s vocal gift and stylistic inclinations are equally vast, uniquely special to her, and continuously capable of triumphant surprises. She injects fresh, 2020s energy into classic honky-tonk on tracks like the dustfloor-bound “Heartbreak City, USA” and “U-Haul Blues”, as well as the saucy, shit-kicking trucker’s anthem, “Salvation Mountain”. Teaming with Ashley McBryde, Shelly Fairchild, and guitarist Grace Bowers on “Borrow My Boots”, she delivers an explosively twangy thriller that pushes her voice to new and colorful places, while recalling the charisma of Jennifer Nettles, circa-peak-Sugarland.
The spirited camaraderie of “Boots” only scratches the surface in terms of collaborative magic awaiting throughout Neon Cowgirl, with an absolute treasure-trove of Americana unions to indulge in as the record progresses. The title track pairs Neilson with Neil Finn, a superstar from her homeland of New Zealand, and it’s a haunting duet that glows with regal honky-tonk imagery, thanks to the rich steel-strings combination that gave country music a polished uptown yet gorgeously gritty balance during the early 60s. Again, you could imagine Cline herself recording this one, with a golden voice like Eddy Arnold or Jim Reeves providing Finn’s lush supporting harmonies. The album’s other prominent duet, lead single “You’re Gonna Fall” with JD McPherson, takes things into a completely different sonic direction, and serves as the fever pitch of the ominous, hallowed spirit of the record. It’s a perfectly produced, delicious concoction more than capable of haunting a listener in their sleep. With its chilling vocals and grisly guitar fuzz, you could easily picture it as an iconic soundtrack for an old-school Hitchcock flick. Meanwhile, accompanied by the ghostly harmonies of The Secret Sisters, “Keep On” likewise transcends you to a spooky and foreboding atmosphere, though the lack of a lead showcase for the always-fabulous Sisters serves as perhaps the album’s only disappointing aspect.
With that said, to find any criticism in a Tami Neilson record is an exercise in mere hair-splitting. Cowgirl may not quite reach the intense aural heights of Kingmaker, which seems destined to become her signature body of work, but it unquestionably comes close. The lyricism, most of which was composed with her brother and fellow-musician, Jay, continues to find Neilson exploring a colorful balance of new and familiar subject matter. And of course, the vocal performances continue to –somehow–reveal new depths to her jaw-dropping range. To call closing number, “One Less Heart” a grand finale is an understatement; the way her voice magnificently crescendos at the song’s climax gives a sterling final curtain to what will undoubtedly stand as the year’s most deliciously bewitching LP.
Track Listing:
- “Foolish Heart” (Tami Neilson, Jay Neilson)
- “Salvation Mountain” (T. Neilson)
- “Neon Cowgirl” featuring Neil Finn (Neilson, Neilson)
- “Borrow My Boots” featuring Ashley McBryde, Shelly Fairchild and Grace Bowers (Ashley McBryde, Shelly Fairchild)
- “Love Someone” (Neilson, Neilson)
- “Keep On” featuring The Secret Sisters (Tami Neilson, Laura Rogers)
- “You’re Gonna Fall” featuring JD McPherson (T. Neilson)
- “Heartbreak City, USA” (Neilson, Neilson)
- “Loneliness of Love” (Neilson, Neilson)
- “U-Haul Blues” (T. Neilson)
- “One Less Heart” (T. Neilson)
The 706 
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