Amy Speace “The Killer in Me” (Wildflower Records, 2009)

Gutsy Americana from a very promising talent.

Amy Speace, from Baltimore, Maryland, first came to notice in the New York theatre world before she rekindled her musical talent nurtured as a child (when she studied piano, clarinet and saxophone). Taking up guitar she performed as half of a female duo before picking up her current band The Tearjerks and recorded this, her second album. Engineered by Mitch Easter, whose studio hosted the sessions, it is a fine piece of work and bodes well for her future.

Ranging from the electrifying tale of a life measured in beds laid in (Dog Days) to more reflective ballads (Haven’t Learned a Thing) Speace fits into a modern, feisty, female Americana hat but has enough in the songwriting and singing stakes to mark her out from the herd.

The title song hoves into view with a wicked guitar/vocal combination that is dark and sexy in its opaque telling of a tale of two doomed lovers, a veritable oroborous of American Gothic. Strangely enough that old Brit rocker, Ian Hunter, pops up here on backing vocals (as he does again on I Met my Love. Tearjerks guitarist, James Mastro, who produced the album, is an occasional Hunter collaborator). “Better than this” is an excellent jaunt into a countrified pop idiom with Byrds’ like guitar chimes.

While Speace changes tack from song to song the foundations remain solid. The band play solidly, whether launching into some raunchy rock or laying down a very sympathetic backing. This is most evident on the war lament “Storm Warning.” This song relates the loss of a loved one in some nameless war and is buttressed by the excellent instrumental coda which occupies over half of the songs’ playing time with the musicians conjure up a musical impression of loss and mourning. Speace’s lyrics are also well worth investigating, the opening lines of “Would I lie” intrigue.

”This year my father’s heroes have all passed/Ronald Reagan, June and Johnny Cash”

Just pull one into the song to see what’s going on here. Overall this is a very accomplished effort and well worth seeking out.

Date review added:  Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Reviewer:  Paul Kerr
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  Dog Days here