Mandi Layne & The Lost Highway - Drunk In Love CD Review

Mandi Layne & The Lost Highway - Drunk In Love
Self-released 884501190855
****
Invigorating debut album
Mandi Layne & The Lost Highway formed in 2007, they have won two rising star awards in America and in May this year at the Review Magazine Awards they went home with seven awards including Best New Country Band and Female Vocalist Of The Year. They have already received rave reviews in America for DRUNK IN LOVE, which is their debut release. The Lost Highway are made up of Greg Kevorkian, Barry Forster, Craig Wright and Dan Wright with Mandi Layne on lead vocals. Not for the faint hearted their music blends modern country with rockabilly and southern rock. If You Ain’t Wasted is a rousing opening song. Mandi’s vocals are dusky and powerful. This song really gets the album off with a bang! Hell Hath No Fury follows on in a similar style. This is another raucous number with plenty of attitude and great vocals provided by Mandi. This song brings Gretchen Wilson to mind. Drunk In Love is a softer song with gentle vocals. Mandi seems to switch between soft and gentle and raspy and rousing vocals with great ease. Star Of My Life picks up the fast pace once again. Another up-tempo modern country song. Brown Bottle Blues is a beautiful song with Mandi once again providing some fantastic gentle vocals. The Simple Side is a polished modern country song in the style of Martina McBride. The Open Road is a rocky song but it still retains a strong country feel to it. NBD is a fast paced upbeat song with a really catchy beat. Chinese On Monday is a lovely modern country song, which again showcases Mandi Layne’s amazing vocals. Friends and Lovers sees Greg Kevorkian join Mandi on vocals. The instrumental backing for this song is quite traditional but this is a thoroughly modern country song. She’s Gonna Get A Life and Runaway With Me continue the album on in much the same style. The final offering Straight To Hell is a lovely song that once again allows Mandi’s vocals to really shine. This is a charming song with a nice upbeat feel to end off what is certainly an action packed album full of fine music. Mandi Layne has the voice of an angel on slow songs and the voice of a rock goddess on fast paced numbers.