On her 15th album since hitting the recording road in 1986, Beth Nielsen Chapman proves every inch the seasoned operator. CRAZY TOWN is a precise exemplar of how to cut a solid release that reflects where an artist pitches their music. This dozen strong collection swings the pendulum from soulful phases to pacy rockers, while retaining a classy edge. Under the stewardship of Ray Kennedy, the heart and soul of Beth Nielsen Chapman's music is in tact. A dominate style isn't sought, just a stroll across a blank template destined to be filled by top players and premier writers.
The track to jump out from the pack is the forthright anthem 'Put a Woman in Charge'. This Beth Nielsen Chapman co-write had a previous life when cut by Keb' Mo', but like so many of her compositions they eventually find a home on one of her own albums. Of course these albums wouldn't be complete without a gorgeous piano ballad and 'With Time' fits the bill here.
Other key moments on an album set to be the centrepiece of an upcoming 20-date UK tour include the nifty reflective number 'Dancin' With the Past' and the deeply personal slow building memory lodger 'The Edge'. For a rockier slant, 'The Universe' calls on all the assembled players to ramp up the velocity, while the pop strains to opening track 'All Around the World' give the album a breezy start and the ground laid for more substantive material.
Beth Nielsen Chapman has always been active with her peers and a result of a writing stint with two of her longstanding musical colleagues, Kimmie Rhodes and Mindy Smith, crops up in the final slot in the guise of the delightfully emotive 'Walk You to Heaven'. These two artists are very much of the same generation as Chapman and the collaboration serves up a decisive closer.
CRAZY TOWN is the sort of safe go-to album when some reassurance and secure quality is desired. Beth Nielsen Chapman has owned this territory of the country-tinged singer-songwriter genre for over thirty years and is showing no signs of relinquishing a hold. On this account clearing a space for a few plays will add a cultured edge to a listening repertoire and cherish the panache delivered from a leading light.