A veteran of several D.C.-area rock bands and the leader of the Conveyors Of Pain. Dana Cerick has released her debut album for Baltimore-based Sam Records, home of Kevin Johnson & the Linemen among others. The title suggests honky-tonk with a good dose of heartache-fueled humor.
The album provides plenty of the latter, but it’s far removed from honky-tonk hardwood floors. Think smart indie-pop with a little Liz Phair and a little Juliana Hatfield, performed by a rocker who enjoys playing her guitar loud every so often. D.C. songwriter Lee Wilhoit provides the Plimsoulsy guitar riff that opens “Last Match”, a catchy song Cerick coolly introduces with: “One. Two. One, two. Catch a groove.”
Her full but sweet voice stands out most on “Diesel Fuel”, a sparse, confessional tune backed by co-producer Phil Stevenson’s National Steel. The singer desperately begs god to let her “sleep tonight and wake up to a good dream.” Cerick wrote 12 of the 13 tracks (and one hidden track), and she rarely misfires, delivering songs that are often hard to digest but well worth the listen.