Theressa Andersson - EP

Album Review

New Orleans' Basin Street Records, which had its offices flooded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, returns to action with this five-song EP from Theresa Andersson, who previously released her album Shine on the label. For both the company and the artist, the five-track, 18-minute disc is a way of showing the flag and announcing that they are still in the game. Andersson has played different kinds of music since debuting with the jazz disc Vibes in 1994. Here, she is aiming for a rustic, country-blues sound à la Lucinda Williams, whose "Jackson" is the first track. "Accustomed to the Dark," the only song for which Andersson gets a co-writing credit, and on which she accompanies herself on acoustic guitar, begins with a false start, and studio chatter is heard elsewhere, giving the recording the feel of a loose rehearsal. That feel comes through in the shuffling arrangements, and in Andersson's breathy, weary seeming singing as she covers Reggie Lucas' "Borderline," Gary Hirstius' "Fine Line," and Tim O'Connell's "Singer of Songs." She isn't out to blow anyone away on this little collection, just to let listeners know that she and her associates are still around making music in her adopted hometown.