For those who like their country heavy on the heartache, Chalee Tennison’s self-titled 1999 debut album is required listening. This talented Texan draws upon her own struggles as a working single mother to deliver unvarnished stories of loveless marriages and romantic martyrdom. The music here invites comparisons with the tormented torch songs and honky-tonk arias of Tammy Wynette and Reba McEntire. With both a twang and a throb in her voice, Chalee lets the pathos of “Just Because She Lives There,” “I Can Feel You Drifting” and “I Let Him Get Away With It” speak eloquently. Hard moral choices and inner conflict infuse tracks like “There’s a War In Me” and “I’d Rather Miss You” with an almost exquisite sense of suffering. “Leave It At That” allows Chalee to display steely composure in the face of a break-up. Mournful pedal steel guitars and glistening string backdrops give this album a clean, expressive neo-countrypolitan sound. Filled with emotion and rendered with integrity, Chalee Tennison is a tear-stained classic of its kind.