By: David Schultz

Singers gravitate towards American standards for many different reasons: Bette Midler went there cause the songs were right in her wheelhouse; Bob Dylan hit it for Good As I Been To You to make a point about (or avoid) music royalties and Rod Stewart dove in because . . . well, some things can’t be explained. With her latest album, Sing You Sinners, Erin McKeown, the often-folky, New York singer-songwriter is the latest artist to make a foray into the music of yore. Echoing back to the Great American Songbook period, the talented songwriter avoids any central message, focusing instead on the timeless melodies of yesteryear.

McKeown doesn't have the strong voice necessary to place at the forefront and make a centerpiece of these songs. Instead, she relies on her ability as an artist to get to the heart of the song. She gives a jazzy flair to tunes like "Get Happy" and "Rhode Island Is For You," but the oddness of songs like "Cou Cou" and "If You A Viper" becomes a bit distracting. McKeown definitely has an ear for the period: "Melody," the album's one original, blends so well it sounds transported from the decades past. McKeown barely modernizes the tunes, keeping them within the confines of their own era. For nostalgia's sake, Sing You Sinners may find a niche but for McKeown, her future doesn't lie in living in the past.

Labels: Erin McKeown