Amy Sheppard, Flowertruck, KISS: New album reviews

One-third of the Sheppard siblings shows you can have your pop and country too on her solo debut PLUS Flowertruck and KISS.

Pop singer Amy Sheppard is in touch with her country influences. Picture: Richard Dobson

This week’s album reviews from The Courier-Mail (ratings out of five stars):

COUNTRY

Amy Sheppard, Nothing But Wild (EP)

(Empire of Song/Universal) ***

In mainstream music there’s a fine line between country and pop, and Sheppard sibling Amy crosses over it on her solo debut. While there’s the requisite country flavour, it’s essentially a pop album. Blue Guitar is a power ballad that gives her vocals a chance to shine, while she hits peak country with the raw guitar and insistent beat of Sometimes You Learn. “I wanna wake up every morning on your side of the bed,” she sings on Couple Goals, which veers closer to Sheppard territory, though with enough twang to put it squarely beside fellow Queenslander Keith Urban in the crossover category. It’s a release that demonstrates both Sheppard’s versatility and the diversity of her influences.

ALTERNATIVE

Flowertruck, Partly Cloudy

(Spunk!) ***

The ’80s tend to get a bad rap for their synth-pop and hair metal, but they also boasted a rich vein of alternative rock, particularly in Australia. And Sydney outfit Flowertruck are the latest to tap into that sensibility, their sophomore effort promising fair weather ahead. Opening track Pretending channels The Go-Betweens’ Bye Bye Pride, and the parallels with that Bris-band don’t end there: also see the synthy, poundy Father of the Bride. And when he’s not channelling Grant McLennan, frontman Charles Rushforth could pass for Mark Callaghan, Lloyd Cole or Keane’s Tom Chaplin. The synth-soaked Quiet! is another standout. They’re certainly a band in bloom – here’s hoping for many more deliveries.

ROCK

KISS, Off the Soundboard: Live in Des Moines

(Universal) ***1/2

If KISS’s last Off the Soundboard release was the first to feature their original lineup, this is the first that showcases them in their prime. And being a vintage rarity it’s probably the most anticipated of the three “official bootlegs” so far. For those who objected to the studio touches of Alive II, this is closer to what they might have wanted, though it’s from the Alive II tour rather than the Love Gun one. And while the quality might not be on the same level as a modern soundboard recording, it’s nonetheless a remarkable time capsule from the band at their peak.