Tammy Cochran, a country powerhouse best known for her 2001 single “Angels In Waiting,” proves her voice has grown even more powerful since her last album on this, her latest outing.
Cochran has seen her share of heartache between the deaths of her older brothers as well as her own divorce and career issues, yet shows an encouraging hope and resilience despite her pain.
“So Long” is a typical country leaving song with a twist, while “And More” echoes the feeling of being in a love that is so much more than you ever imagined it could be. The words are poignant in all of Cochran’s songs, especially “As Soon As I’m Over You,” which reminds me of older Reba McEntire songs like “Fancy.” Cochran has also been compared to Barbara Mandrell and Patsy Cline due to her powerful voice and unrelenting talent, and that is not hyperbole.
“Nobody’s Home” shows the empty feeling of being alone, though Cochran is able to express that hollowness without forsaking her strong voice. Somehow she manages to consistently present exactly the emotions you feel when you are listening to her music. The title track to Where I Am has a Southern gospel sound, while upbeat banjo and guitar picking highlight “The Ride Of Your Life.” Each song brings something fresh and new to the table, allowing the listener to choose their own lyrical adventure.
“High wire walkin’ with no net / Never knowin’ if the very next step / Is gonna take me far or take me down / Leave me hangin’ or on solid ground.” In “High Wire” you can tell the hesitation in Cochran’s voice between loving and leaving, staying and going, trusting and denying trust. She concludes “I won’t be hangin’ on / To this high wire for long.”
The irony is that her very next track is named “Long Way Down,” and tells with an edgy bass and guitar beat of being “left wonderin’ if I did somethin’ wrong.” Something tells me that Cochran knows how to handle adversity and tough times with the logical and polished air her songs exhibit. Even when things go wrong, her choruses always showcase adapting to the new reality instead of wallowing in the past.
Overall this is a CD for anyone who enjoys a strong singer with powerful lyrics. Not for the faint of heart, since Cochran deals with tough heartache issues, but extremely worth listening to if you want to get through pain with encouragement from someone who has gone through the same thing.
