'Rock n Roll Pony' is a real alt-country gem; it's an album that appears straight-forward on the first listen through, but one which really reveals its subtlety on subsequent plays. It's on the rockier side of folk-rock with elements of country music, and this is a mix that adds up to an album that's full of excellent melodies and hooks - there's certainly lots of strong radio material on this album.
Her voice is sweet but with a wonderful raw edge, and this vocals mix allows her to convincingly carry off both the slower tracks and out and out rockers. This edgy aspect is also carried over into the instrumentation - it's a simple enough combination of guitars, bass, pedal steel and drums and it's presented in its 'natural' state with some rough edges intentionally left in place and an organic feel to the arrangements.
Standout tracks include the excellent 'Why', 'I'm Alright' and 'Put the Message in the Box' - all three are strong songs with wonderful melodies and obvious candidates for radio play.
Comparisons with country rock artists are probably the best guides to Gina's material and she's similar to Kathleen Edwards and Lucinda Williams, but individual enough to stand out from the pack as a distinct talent.
This is an excellent album, strong in every respect and with a confidence and swagger that jumps out of every track.

£13.49