Hilary McRae – Through These Walls

Hilary McRae – Through These Walls / 2008 Concord / 12 Tracks /  http://www.hilarymcrae.com /

“Through These Walls” starts off with “Every Day (When Will You Be Mine)”, a track that has a timeless nature to it. That means that the brass that backs up the vocals and the rest of the normal instrumentation (drums) provides hints of the seventies, while McRae’s vocals on this track are very current and modern. The result is a funky type of track that will undoubtedly be on rock rotation even if the style is something pretty unique. McRae’s vocals link together Pink and Tracy Chapman, ensuring that the subset of interested listeners is sufficiently large enough to ensure ey has a large fan base. “Consider Me Gone” is the next track on “Through These Walls”, and it shows McRae in a slightly different light.

The soulful sound of eir vocals is present as it was during “Every Day”, but there is a little more in the way of blues influence present during this track. The song will slide in nicely with the Amy Winehouse style of popular music, and while the instrumentation present is softly-stated, it works well with the vocals. “Let’s Stop” is another strong track by McRae; it blends the two styles that were present during “Every Day” and “Consider Me Gone”, while adding enough unique flair and style to the track to keep individuals listening. While McRae is not a huge star at this point, continued work in regards to live shows and an active fan base should be enough to push McRae’s already solid work into the stratosphere.

The twelve cuts on “Through These Walls” avoid the pitfalls inherent in a number of current artists’ releases, in that there is nothing that individuals should avoid on this album. So, if you like the works of a Kelly Clarkson, Pink, or the like make it a point to pick up “Through These Walls”. Chances are good that a devoted subset of fans will dig this album, and the next release for McRae will be the one that establishes eir as a star. So, grab this album and you can say that you knew about McRae before anyone else did.

Top Tracks: Waiting, Hostage

Rating: 6.8/10