Tracy Shedd
Arizona
New Granada
Street: 11.12
Tracy Shedd = Anna Nalick + Missy Higgins
If this was playing in a room, you could leave for a few songs and not miss much. All 13 tracks are quiet vocals over strummy, uncomplicated acoustic guitar and vapid, romantic lyrics. Cat Power sets the bar pretty high in my mind for the genre of “chicks with guitars and pretty voices,” and while Shedd fits the criteria, her approach lacks any sort of edge or defining quality. “All the Little Things” features a male singer and sounds like something that gets played at Starbucks. Given that her cover of “Teenage Riot” by Sonic Youth is the coolest track of the album, I think that Shedd would have more success if she gave songwriting a break and stuck to covers. –Kia McGinnis